Take The Plunge : The 100th Hunger Games
by BethanyDee
Summary: When orphaned Phoenix is put into the arena for the fourth quarter quell with the people she loves, her life will change om fighting to survive every day in district four to fighting the harsh environment of the arena, it seems the odds are never in her favour. Will the smouldering embers of the rebellion be re-lit as Phoenix takes to the stage and takes the plunge?
1. Chapter One - District Four

**Disclaimer : Unfortunately I do not own the hunger games. Susanne Collins does. I just own the characters and the plot I made up.**

**Chapter One - District Four**

I feel wet sand drying on my feet as I wake up to the sea birds making their presence known over the small cove. I love where I live. Well, not exactly. Living in district four is not an easy life, and I am not in an easy situation, but I have to cope. At least our district is beautiful. We have the seas to stare at all day, instead of rough roads or misty, polluted parks. Our cove is beautiful. We live away from the town centre, away from all the noise of the daily market, and away from the almost daily show that peacekeepers make out of what they call criminals. We live on a ledge, just above the sand of a small beach, with the shelter of cliffs behind us, and the sea, open on front of us. That makes us vulnerable to flooding and storms, but when they happen, we just try to get back to normal, salvaging what fish have been washed up into our little hut. It is usually, sunny, so grey clouds are an early warning. I can already feel the sun beating down on my closed eyelids, so i know today will be good. Well, it will have good weather anyway. I open my eyes the sun rises over the sea, turning it from a mysterious dark blue, to a clear hue of a colour I can't quite describe. I have tried to describe the beauty of the sea many, many times. I can't ever get it right. The hues of the perfect, ever changing blue, mixing with the ash grey of the sea floor, and the beautiful rays of sun that cast swirling reflections into the calm waves.

My father has told me tales of mysterious sea maidens many times, when I was little of course. I do not belive in such things now. There is no time to. But telling them to my sister, Raven, is a nice way to relive that magical feeling. Watching her stare out of our tiny beach hut window, looking out into the waves and rock formations, like something magical will happen. The only thing I have ever seen out on those waves are the wooden rafts of fishermen, trying to bring fish to the market, putting up the price. Or a peacekeepers boat, driving by slowly, watching our every move. The peacekeepers boats come by every two hours or so. This gives us time to get precious, precious food. Here, in district four, it is illegal to fish without a licence, which are very hard and expensive to attain. So, we fish when we can with my handmade lures and my brother, Ryan's willow rods. Unfortunatley, my father isn't around anymore to teach us all of the tricks he used to use, to bring in huge bags full of fish. Always. He never came back empty handed, and im sure he traded most of his fish at the market. We could never afford a licence. How I miss the feeling of when I would hear his boots at the door, and I would drop whatever I was doing, usually drawing on a piece of slate from the beach, and run to him. He died in a storm, just two years ago, when I was fourteen. Our hut, our tiny home, was destroyed. We are still adding little little finishing touches to it. The chipping blue paint on the wood, the rocks outside that I found when I was little. But nothing will be the same without my father. As for my mother, she died while giving birth to Raven. Ryan is now head of the house, but I look after my siblings like I am their mother. Sometimes I feel like I really am, but I could never replace my mother. Ever. I am nothing like her. Or at least I don't feel like I am. I am not worthy of taking her place. I will just help out here and there.

I sigh as I roll over on the wooden floor. I am wrapped in my usual woven blanket to protect me from cold sea winds. The wood creaks in protest as I shify, even though I weigh very little. I focus on the tiny patterns that go through the wood, every change in colour, every little dark spot, every light stripe, every mark from where the saw cut, every groove, every indentation, is imprinted into my mind.

I am just giving myself excuses to stay in bed longer. I must get up, so that I can beat the patrol boat and get fishing.

My eyes are still heavy, but I solve that by looking at the sun for a few seconds. I feel more awake now, but just a little. I am not a morning person. Maybe Ryan's laziness has rubbed off on me. I shudder at the very thought

I decide I better get up now. I shrug off my blanket, and it falls to the floor in a crumpled heap. I make a note to myself to fold it later.

I untangle my shell necklace from my hair, letting it hang loosley around my neck. I couldnt stand to wear any kind of choker those people from the capitol wear. I would feel like I was being strangled. Of course I envy their wealth, the constant presance of food in their homes, but I really do think that they can be quite stupid with their diets. If I had that much food I wouldn't waste a single crumb.

I go through to the tiny bathroom, and close the door behind me. I change into my stripey dress, and flip flops. I let my medium length honey hair stay tangled for once. Dragging that brush through it can't be good for it. I turn on the water, which runs cold as usual, and splash it up into my face. I look back up into the mirror, water dripping off of my bronze skin and high cheekbones. I wipe the crust away from my bright blue eyes, and wince as I hear the pipes protest against the water. The creaking, groaning sound spreads throughout the hut. I quickly shut off the tap, and as expected, I hear Ryan's voice.

"Phoenix? Phoenix! Ugghh! How can you get up this early?!" he shouts. I shuffle my feet on the floor, trying to get the sand off, as it is starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Practice Ryan!" I shout back, pulling up my backpack full of lures. In case any peacekeepers search it, I add in some woven mats, my excuse would be that we were just on the way to the market. I could easily sell my lures for money at the market, but I would be caught straight away, and probably killed, since it is an illegal trade, and the hooks can be dangerous.

"Yeah_ Ryan!_" shouts Raven.

"You are just as bad Raven! Well, maybe not as bad... But..." I trail off, trying to think of a way to finish my rant. "Just get up!" I finish weakly.

"I am up!" she laughs.

"I can confirm that." mumbles Ryan.

I fasten the buttons, and adjust the rope straps, pulling them so that the bag stays tightly on my back, to buy me time if anyone fancies stealing anything in it.. My beautiful brightly coloured anklet and bracelets are still on, my father gave me them too. I never did learn how to make them. I wished I did when I was little. I would watch him weave them for Raven, who can make them, and wonder how his clever fingers could weave such delicate thread into such fascinating patterns, that reminded me of forsets or the ocean.

Whenever I pick up pieced of thread, the only part I can do is dye them, nothing else. Then they get tangled and I throw them away in frustration. Raven always fixes them for me. I'm not a patient person. Not one of my best qualities. You can't blame me though. With Raven and Ryan to look after, not even including my boyfriend Will, I am bound to have a short temper. It really depends on what mood I am in.

I nod to myself, completing the checklist in my mind, and wandering through to the main room, where Raven is trying to plait ridiculously long dark brown hair. I smile and sit down behind her, helping her.

"Why do you keep your hair this long again?" I ask, laughing as she tries to pull her finger out of a knot. I pull them out for her, before raising my eyebrow, telling her to answer my question.

"Ryan said Mom had long hair." she states simply, and very seriously. She wants to be just like Mom she never knew. A sad story really.

I say no more as I tie it with a braided, thin rope I found on the beach the other day, when I scavenging.

Ryan finally walks through, ready to go.

He has tried to spike up his dark brown hair with water, but it hasn't worked. He looks very like Raven. Like mom. They have her green eyes, pale skin, and dark hair. I got all of Dad's looks, except from the high cheekbones. They are definatley from Mom, there is no denying that.

Keeping her hair long is a desire I don't understand. Her hair is straight and wispy, not thick and wavy like mine, so I guess she has the advantage of tame hair, while the sea air makes my hair look like a bush. I don't like having to care for my hair. It takes too long. Even Ryan and Will keep their hair better than mine. The brittleness from the salt water adds to the _my hair is a mess _look. I just want to be able to not worry about my appearance like the women of the capitol.I just want to be outside, and be happy. I am neither of those things right now. I am indoors, and feeling slightly annoyed.

Finally, everyone is ready to go. We didn't have any breakfast, trying to save food, so I use my trusty pen knife to cut off a few pieces of bark from a nearby tree, chewing it as I wait for the other to get out of the hut. I lock the door, with the huge metal key, which I swing around my fingers, before putting it in my pocket. There is no point in locking the door anyway. The frail, sea damaged wood wouldn't hold up against a kick from Raven, so anyone could get in.

How do I know it wouldn't hold up against a kick from Raven?

One word. Tantrums. Raven may not be strong, but she sure knows how to make a mess. I think she has a tough girl attitude as she is trying to forget her losses. But even I can see though her facade. and I can't see through much when it comes to people's emotions and feelings. I kind of hardened to them when my father died.

We pick up our bags, and walk out of the door, and towards the abandoned pier that fishermen used to use.

The paths we walk are worn by our feet only. We walk through sun yellowed grass and across high cliffs, until we come to a steep downhill path, through the sand coloured stone. I hold onto the rock, but I know my path, it is the one I have walked for years and years. I do slip a couple of times, but no major falls. We walk on the sand for a while, before hopping up onto the wet wood, worn away by many fisherman's boots in the past. I can just imagine them now, trudging out onto their not so trustworthy rafts, many never coming home. Especially when the rebellion started. Some say they stole the peacekeepers boats and used their own weapons against them! How brave and heroic. I wish we had won, so that we could go back to when Panem was called North America. Stange name really. My father told me that they used to have trucks that went around giving out strawberry flavoured frozen cream. I don't belive he was telling the truth though. He says they were called, ice cream trucks, and that stories from this strange country of America, were passed down through his family in hope that one day, we would win the rebellion. That we would one day, be a free country again.

We walk to the end of the pier, sitting down and swinging our legs over the edge, and dipping our toes in the sea. We put down our stuff, and set up our rods, before casting them out. We sit on the pier for a while, watching the sun rise over the horizon. We talk too. Mostly about how hungry we are, and what kind of food we would have, if we could have any in the world.

I catch a few fish, which I stuff into my bag under a few mint leaves, which mask the smell. There is no way of keeping them cold for long under the heat to the sun.

Eventually we get bored, so I dive off of the pier, landing in the water with a splash. Ryan joins me, but Raven seems scared. Eventually she jumps in too, and we play and splash. We even see who can hold their breath for the longest. I also practice swimming, doing laps around the pillars of the pier. My father always called me his little fish. We swim under the bright rays of the sun for what seems like forever. But even forever can't last.

I am talking to Raven about what kind of fish we need to catch, and what kind of fish go for different types of bait, when Ryan suddenly pushes me underwater with a strong hand on my head, taking the gear with him. Raven too. I kick myself over to the pier, fighting against the waves, and the urge to breathe. Something must be wrong. Ryan would never do that unless there was danger. Swimming underneath, and coming up for air, unseen. I hear footsteps above my head. Distinct footsteps. Uniform and loud. Perfectly in time. Marching. Those of the peacekeepers. I stay as quiet as possible. Ryan and Raven pop up beside me, and Raven looks at me with worried eyes. I wish she wasn't twelve yet. She wast worried when she was seven or eight. Ryan just looks up, listening carefully. I listen too.

"I'm sure I saw them here. We can do another patrol on the boat soon." says one. "Or on foot."

"Alright. Lets go back to base." says the other. "There must have been people out here. Maybe old fishermen. They will hqve to update their permits soon, which means more money for us!"

They jump onto the boat they pulled up in, and start the engine, idling before finally setting off after a nerver wracking wait. They make me sick.

I stay under until I can no longer see the boat.

I finally come out, and we pull ourselves up onto the pier, panting and soaking wet, our clothes and hair dripping onto the already soaked wood.

We run back home, tripping on the worn paths as we make our way up the hill to our hut, slamming the door as we run in. Not saying a word as we stash our stuff in the pantry, and leave our clothes to sun dry by the window, not daring to leave them outside.

I change into some denim shorts I made from an old pair of jeans, as there has been a heatwave lately, and a tank top, putting my hair back in a ponytail, so it is less noticable

We sit in the main room, telling each other how scared we were, and what we would have done if we had been caught, and what we should do in the future.

We decide to find a new spot to fish. Best not to stay there when they are hot on our tails. We have enough food for tonight anyway. A few pieces of slightly stale bread and some vegetables from the market. Also, I think we have one mackrel left.

And some eggs I found. I can tell they were laid by the wild hens that roam the cliffs. Not the best habitat for hens that I could think of, but then they are not the most intelligent animals.

"Thanks Ryan."I smile at him. "Will will be so jealous of your skills."

I really am thankful. I we had been sitting on that pier, we would be the next people to be tied to the pole and whipped on front of the whole town. Or shot. I don't think they would care anyway. Nobody really knows us. We are sort of recluse I suppose. At school too. Everyone just leaves us alone. We are the poorest of poor. I used to have other friends. My father's friends children. I know they recognise me, but none of us can be bothered to say hello, or have a conversation.

Will. My boyfriend since... Since ages. We were childhood friends. Sometimes we fished together. His mother died in the games, and he is also sixteen. I can relate to him in many ways, even though our situations will never be quite the same. He is richer than me. He owns one of the fishing boats, but in his own words, is useless at fishing. I have tried to teach him. I guess it is something that comes naturally to me, and not him.

We have helped each other through many tough times, and built a strong relationship upon that. Also, him and Ryan are best friends. They have a way with humor, which made them instantly click.

Oh well. I will teach him. I am detrmined. One day will, you will be able to fish.

Ryan laughs at my comment, tyring to get Raven to be more comfortable, but ever since then, she has been a nervous wreck. She will calm down eventually. Hopefully.

The games are always in the back of everyone's minds, but it is front and centre in Raven's, a constant worry. She always seems to be musing over how she could win the games, but then concludes that she couldn't and gets all mopey again.

I hate seeing her worried and sad, but it just seems to be a built in thing, like my impatience or Ryan's laziness, although, it controlls her more. She has very complex thoughts for a twelve year old. Although not top of the class when it comes to math or english, she is great when it comes to debates and opinions, which is a problem. Even though most peole agree with her opinions, speaking out about how badly we are treated or how poor we are, is a good way to get yourself and everyone associated with you killed, which I am sure the peacekeepers enjoy.

We all jump as we hear the noise of the projector turning on. This is not good. This is usually about the time that the games are announced, and this year, is the fourth quarter quell. We have all been forced to watch the victory tour, so it can't be that. I am not looking forward to whatever sick twist President Watson has put into this years games. Not at all. And the projector only turns itself on for mandatory announcements. Ones we have to watch. Raven slips her hand into mine as we see the capitol symbol appear on the wall. She looks at me, with a face so filled with dread, it is hard to look back into her huge eyes. But I look back, and rub her hand. My way of telling her it will be okay. I hear the anthem blasting out of the speakers, and look nervously at the screen. The capitol screen dissolves into the stage set up. And there is Cesar Flickerman II, his hair dyed bright yellow, and wearing a matching yellow suit. He is jumping about comically on stage as the strange creatures called the citizens of the capitol scream and reach out to the stage.

As soon as the crowd settles down, the hunger games symbol appears on the screens, along with a deep bass sound effect that shakes the foundations of the hut.

President Watson appears on stage, on a raised platform with the anthem playing in the background, followed by last years victor, Kelsiee O'Donohue from District Two.

The spotlight focuses on them as Kelsiee holds up the box containing the envelope labelled, One Hundredth Year.

She sparkles in the light, her Red hair tied back, her green eys glimmering, her freckles drawn on, standing out against her puffy blue dress.

The focus goes back to President Watson, a large man with thinning brown hair, and thick eyebrows, with large brown eyes. He looks almost like a character described as the bad guy in a fairytale.

He opens the box, which is decorated will all sorts of jewels and metals i have never seen before in my life, with one gloved hand, and starts out in a clear voice as he opens up the parchment envelope carefully, breaking the red wax seal that is supposedly one hundered years old. Rumor has it they were re written to sort out the second great rebellion. To eliminate a girl called Katniss Everdeen. She is long gone though. Was blown to bits in a raid in twelve.

President Watson reads from the small card inside,

"To show that no matter how many times you try to push against the capitol, no matter how many paricipate, no matter how strong the group, the capitol will always overpower, no matter how many times history repeats itself." he starts. The words send shivers through my spine. _History reapeat_s itself? I think. Maybe they will put more victors in, but that ended in disaster last time, so it can't be that. Maybe someone from their family? I might be safe this year. Mabe the odds are finally in may favour after all.

"The second quarter quell will be repeated. Four tributes from each district will be put into the arena, and to show that we forgive, an original team from the same district, if all four still stand, they may win. May the odds be ever in your favour." he finishes.

The capitol anthem starts to blare again as they walk off of the stage, and the crowd cheers loudly, im even sure I spot a few fainting as the camera pans the crowd of exotic looking people. Their embellished wigs, eyelashes as long as my hair, animal skin clothing and tallons as nails. Their facial expressions seem like someone has taken their faces and stretched them to inhuman levels, somehow without making a single mark or dent in their skin. They are almost funny, but given the situation, I am not in the mood for laughing.

A feeling of dread starts to spread through me, what if I am picked, what if I never see my family again? What about Will? What will happen if I am picked? What if we are all picked? Wait, calm down, we could win. Calm down. Calm down.

Thoughts fill my brain, and I begin to become frantic, freezing still as I tell myself to be brave for Raven. I am rigid. I look over to Ryan, who is still staring at the screen, not blinking for as long as I watch him. Raven just stares, and stares, her eyes as big as the shells on the beach, her mouth slighly open but turned down in an expression I can only define as utterly terrified.

Eventually, I work up the courage to move and calm myself.

I stare in shock as the countdown until the games is projected onto our wall. Raven grips my hand tightly.

We all stare in shock. Our eyes wide, mouthes open. Now I could really go into the arena. I would never be able to support my family again if I lost. If I die, that means they die too. My chances of going into that arena are slowly going up. I look at the countdown. One week.

"Phoenix, Ryan, what if I'm picked?" asks Raven quietly.

"You wont be Raven, no need to worry okay?" i fake smile at her, but my stomach is churning.

I can feel my heart hammering through my chest, the sweat starting to form on the nape of my neck and on my forehead.

I haven't been this worried since the storm started, when I clung to the rocks embedded in the ground to save myself from being smashed onto the rocks.

Maybe it would have been better if I had died there and then.

I tell myself to get those thoughts out of my head. My family need me now. I will be their rock. I will not let the fall.

I will fight to stay in my district. The place I know off of the back of my hand. The place I was born and raised in. The place I will die in.

Well, I need the odds on my side, because right now, they couldnt be any worse.

It seems the odds are never in my favour.

**Thank you so, so much for reading my first fanfic! This will probably end up being quite a long story, so stay tuned for updates. Please review, they keep me inspired!**

**Bethany x **


	2. Chapter Two - My Friend Will

**And so the story continues! I will try to make every chapter about 3000 - 5000 words. Please review, it keeps me inspired!**

**Chapter Two - My Friend Will**

So, here we are again. I am lying on the floor, wrapped in my blanket, the sand from yesterday still drying on my feet. As my eyes open and I sit up, I try to remember what has made me so upset. I run through my mind. Well, the peacekeepers almost caught us, I couldn't sleep last night, but that's not why. I scrunch my face up in frustration. Why can't I remember? Maybe because I wanted to forget. What would I want to forget about?

I listen to the calming sound of the waves on the sand and rocks, their perfect rythm helping me to concentrate.

I close my eyes again, resisting the pull of lying back down.

What was it? What was it? I question myself over and over.

Then, suddenly, it all comes back in harsh bright colours and sounds.

The games. The fourth quarter quell. Four people go in. Two boys, two girls. From each district. That is forty eight innocent children. Slaughtered. Now i finally know what Raven feels like when she wants to speak out about how badly we are treated, and how the games are outdated, and just a source of entertainment for the capitol. How they should be stopped, no longer an accepted thing in society.

I am suddenly rigid again, a habit of mine, when I am scared. I try to take calming breaths but it is not enough.

I jump up before I can stop myself, still in my stripey dress from yesterday. I don't bother putting shoes on, I just follow my first instinct, and it seems to be, run from fear. I run through the front door, slamming it behind me.

I feel my feet being torn open by the rocks underfoot, but I don't care. I need to run from my fear, never before have I felt this scared. Never. I continue to run, as fast as I can, and before I know it, I have run onto the grass path, I can feel the bugs and ticks in the grass biting into my bare legs. I do not care. I do not feel. I just run. The grass finally starts to thin out, and I realise I am at the top of the cliffs. The very top of the very highest cliff in fact, known by everyone in the village as jumping point. I stare into the sea and jagged rocks below me, and I feel my feet moving slowly forwards.

I suddenly snap out of my trance as I stare into the swirling blue ocean below me, as it weaves its way around the rocks, the sea foam bubbling.

"_No. Don't do it." _I say to myself, inching backwards from the edge,the soft grass underfoot making every step easier until my foot hits a rock, sending me tumbling away from the cliffs edge, and I land on my back in a dip in the grass, panting loudly. I take three deep breaths, clutching the long grass, pulling it out with my hands. It is only then I realise the water on my face. I am crying.

For anyone else, this would just be one of the many times they have cried over a family fight, or over food, water, a death...

But for me, this is the first time I have cried in two years. The last time I cried was for my father, when he died. There and then, I had told myself that nothing else, or anyone else, deserved my tears apart from my father, or any other family member. And now it seems like every teardrop is a waterfall.

I stand up and continue to walk at a brisk pace until I reach the old pier.

I walk along to the edge, and sit down, dangling my feet in the shallow waves, where I see fish swimming around my feet. Teasing me, tempting me. There is no point in trying to grab them. They would just slip straight out of my hands. Like my chances of survival if I went into the arena.

I run my hands along the damp wood, picking up a few stones and tossing them as far out into the water as I can, which is pretty far. I watch them be submerged by the water in the distance, leaving a trail of ripples behind them, landing in the ash grey sand at the bottom of the sea. Or maybe eaten by a fish that is stupid enough.

I sit there for a while, just watching the water as it swirls around me, free and beautiful.

Listening to the waves to calm me again, I lie back and stare at the sky.

The never-ending blue colour that stetches far beyond the horizon, maybe to another distant land, where peace is. Where childeren do not play in alleyways between rundown shops, where you do not get killed for trying to catch a meal.

I sigh. Maybe they even have ice cream trucks there. Maybe society is the way it should be there. Maybe everyone is well fed. Maybe everything can only be described as... Perfect.

I see shapes in the clouds, I see perfect homes, with happy families, streets free of bodies and homeless people, schools, even places where you are served food, I belive they were called resteraunts?

Happy couples. Childeren playing with their grandparents. A place where everyone is treated like a victor.

Well, distraction failed. Every single thing in this world seems to lead back to something to do with the games.

I feel the dread creeping through me again. I try to stop all negative feelings, but it proves impossible, so I just let them wash over me like a wave.

I hear an engine in the distance, amongst the lapping of the waves, but I assume it is my mind playing tricks on me. When the engine cuts off, I assume I am right.

I must be getting home soon. If I am this worried, imagine how worried Raven will be. I sigh as I try to think of how to deal with her nerves.

I could sing. I know I can sing, but not in a melodic way. Just in an average way. Nothing special. I could tell her about all of my past reapings, help her pick her dress out? Ughh. I don't know. I am useless at this kind of stuff. I eventually get over it myself. I can't solve other people's problems. It isnt my "thing" to do that.

I let out a sigh.

Then suddenly I hear a voice. A professional voice, but rough too.

"Miss? Miss are you alright? I am going to have to ask you to leave these premises..."

Crap. Peacekeepers. I run through my mind my big apology speech will all of the excuses I can think of before finally sitting up, and starting,

"Sir, I am so, so sorry, I didn't know these premises were not for public access, I will be more careful..."

My apologetic and confused face turns to a scowl when I look up to see Will there, smirking at me.

"I guess thats okay then." he says, still in a professional voice.

"Knock it off Will, or you'll end up in the sea!" I laugh, standing up. "You gave me a fright!"

"You gave me one too! Don't lie like that, you looked dead!" he laughs.

This is my Will. making me laugh even when I am at rock bottom.

Like when we first met. We were childhood friends. I remember that day well.

I was up in the hills, gathering wildflowers, edible ones. I was only eight. As I was putting one into my backpack, Will had walked up to me, and my first instinct had been to run away, as my father had told me not to let anyone catch me. The grass was up to hip height anyway, so if I saw anyone approaching I could drop down and crawl my way out of a sticky situation. I didn't notice Will approaching, despite his ridiculous height, just now, he is six feet four. But back then he was smaller.

I had started to turn around when he held a hand out, and introduced himself as Will. I had kept a serious face and asked,

"Are you out here to arrest me?" while he put his hand down, obviously dissappointed.

"No. Why would I be here to arrest you?" he had whispered, raising an eyebrow.

"My father says I am to be careful of stranges." I had whispered back, spinning the flower between my finger and my thumb.

"That is poisonus." he had warned, snatching the flower out of my hand and throwing it down the hill. He had leaned into the grass and picked up a white flower.

"Try this." he said, thrusing his hand towards me, the flower tight in his grasp. His voice more condident.

"How do I know I can trust you." I had said, still a whisper. A statement, not a question.

He had looked confiently back at me and eaten one of the flowers. I watched closely, I was an observant child.

He smiled as he swallowed it, sticking his tounge out. I had laughed right there and then. Yhe first time I had laughed since my mother had died. I knew I could trust this boy. So I took the other flower from his hand, and took a tentitive bite of the stem, the part he ate,, leaving the rest.

"Tastes good don't ya think?" he had asked.

"Yeah." I had replied shyly.

He had smiled and taken my hand, leading me to a whole meadow full of them. I stuffed my backpack of course.

When the sun started to set, I asked if would be able to meet up with him again, and he said that he would be at the pier with his father most of the time. I had smiled and shook his hand, then ran the rugged hill pathes all the way home, and told my father all about my new friend.

He had smiled at the plant I had collected, telling me he hadn't seen it in years, and when he asked me where I had go it, I had said I couldn't quite recall where. Which was true.

For a while, Will never met my father, or Ryan. He did meet Raven a few times though. They would always call him imaginary, but I knew he was real, so I finally took him to meet my father and Ryan, they were impressed by the fact that he was actually real.

Will has been my best friend for years, and I don't know when we officiallyngot together. I don't even remember our first kiss, which is sad. Now he is regularly stopping by our hut to check up with everyone, and to hang out with Ryan. They are best friends, but he is closest with me, obviously.

He has helped me through a lot of tough situations, as I said.

He seems to be remebering our story too as he sits beside me as we have done for the past few years, at the end of the pier and told eachother our darkest secrets, and most worrying thoughts.

I slip my hand into his and smile at him.

"So." I whisper quietly like when we first met.

"You really are terrified, arent you." he says softly.

"Yes. I am terrified for my family. For you. For myself." I whisper back.

"there is no need to be concerned. You will be just fine Phoenix. Alright? Promise me you'll try not to worry." he says, caressing my face with his hands, brushing my hair out of my face.

"Alright." I say, looking into his sea green eyes.

"Alright then." he whipers back, pecking me on the lips.

We both look out to the sea, watching its ever changing form.

I decide to speak my mind. What I was thinking about before he arrived.

"I wonder what is beyond that horizon." I say softly, a voice full of wonder.

"What are you hoping is beyoned the horizon." he asks, intrgued.

"A perfect world I suppose." I say, gazing out. "A utopia for those who have been misgreated. Where we can finally live...normally. Where we can have food at our tables every night."

"Hey, hey, woah, am I talking to Raven?" he laughs.

"No, but suddenly I feel like I understand her need to speak out, y'know. Maybe you don't, but I feel like we need to do something about these games. How many more childeren need to die." I shake my head and look to the water.

"I do understand Phoenix, something does need to be done, but not now. The capitol are building up security for the games. I don't want you to die Phoenix."

"Okay." I whisper. Intregued, I do the math in my head. It takes me a while. I stare out to sea while working it out.

"Will, I just worked out, that over two thousand kids have died in the games. Innocent childeren." I whisper, hanging my head.

"Shhh Phoenix. Don't think like that. I think you need to get these games off of your mind."

"I think so too..." I sigh. I really do. Will is right.

He has calmed me a lot.

"Thank you for calming me Will, it means a lot before I go and face Raven, I have a feeling she won't be in the best of moods today. You really helped me too. I caught myself considering jumping off of Jumping Point earlier. I terrified myself, and I couldn't control my body. I never want that to happen again. You really have helped. You are right, we won't be reaped. There are thousands living here." I say wuickly, ashamed I was about to kill myself.

"I think eveyone feels like that sometimes Phoenix. Im glad I could help." he smiles."anyway, I have to get back to work. I will see you soon right?" he asks.

"Of course." I reply, feeling like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. " Hows the fishing getting on?" I ask sarcastically.

"Oh grat. Real great. " he replies, just as sarcastically.

I smile as he stands up and dusts himself off.

He walks over to the boat, trying to look manly, his hands in his pockets, but slips, almost falling. I dash to catch him just in time, righting him onto his feet just in time.

We both laugh as he steps cautiously into his boat, which I search thoroughly for holes before letting him go, kissing him on the cheek as he sets off, the engline loud.

"Bye Will!" I yell over the roar of the engine.

I see him wave and turn around, turing away. I look around, before deciding to head back home. I run along the cliff pathes in a much better mindset. When I reach the grass, I even pick up a few of the flowers that Will and I found work as a great spice to add to dull meals. We called the Firebirds. After me. Phoenix.

I stuff them into my pocket, and continue running, wiping my feet in the grass before heading through the front door to smell fish cooking.

I smile as I peek around the corner, seeing Ryan and Raven working together, well, attempting to work together. They are arguing over which herbs to put on the fish. I walk around the corner, and they look up. Raven still has the worried look, but seems to have gathered up her tough girl facade again.

I reach into my pofkets and pull out the firebird flowers, showing Raven how to use every single bit of them. I tell her the stem has the flavour, but if you cook the leaves, they add nutrition.

She adds them in, smelling it cooking over the open fire eagerly.

"Can't we just eat it now Phee? Please?" she pleads, using the nickname she gives me when she is desperate.

"I would say yes Raven, but you would get seriously sick from eating raw fish." I lecture her seriously.

"Awwww!" they both say.

I turn to ryan.

"You are_ such _a big kid Ryan! " I laugh. He sticks out his bottom lip.

I think everyone is trying to be overly happy and silly thanks to yesterdays events. I remember Will's words. I have to get the games off of my mind.

So instead of musing over my possible future fate, I watch the fish cook.

When it is done, Raven sits down hurriedly, holding out her clay plate that she made when she was little out of the layer the flood left.

I carefully cut the fish, taking out the bones, and putting it on her plate. She waits until I have put my food on my pkate, and given some to ryan, then we all sit down by the fire, and begin eating.

I then realise, this is the first meal I have aten ages, and start woldpfing it down.

"Phoenix... Eat slowly. You'll choke." Says Ryan.

"Hey you've eaten..." I argue weakly, before giving in to the desire to eat again.

Once we have all finished, I gather up all of their plates, and put them in the basin of water thatwe use to wash our things in. There is practically nothing left on the plates, do I just dip them in, and dry them with my dress.

As I dry them, I hear Ryan go up the stairs, but Raven stays and watches me for a while. I just continue to dry the dishes.

When I put the last one on the counter, I fetch the basin of water, and throw it over the fire. It makes a satisfying hissing noise as the flickering orange ribbons of fire dissappear.

Raven taps me on the shoulder, and I turn around, putting the basin down.

She gulps, and looks at me.

"Would you mind coming for a walk with me, on the beach tonight?" she asks.

"Of course I'll come Raven." I reply.

If there was only a way I could comfort my sister, ensure her that the odds, in every way, are in her favour.

**So that was chapter two! Thank you so much for reading (again) and stay tuned for updates!**


	3. Chapter Three - Never Set In Stone

**Already on the third chapter! Wow! Anyways, thanks so much for reading. I get the feeling I will say this every time. But if you are reading this, just let me tell you, I am super grateful. Okay, so lets get on with the story!**

**Disclaimer : I do NOT own the hunger games, no matter how much I wish I do. Everything belongs to Suzanne Collins. **

Chapter Four : Nothing Is Set In Stone.

I wait upstairs for a while, Raven is slow at getting ready. I don't want to be out after dark for long though. I don't like the dark, especially when I am near the sea. The calmness is just too eerie sometimes. It is however, the best time to catch fish. The peacekeepers are never around. I do not want to do that tonight though.

It is still perfectly calm weather outside, but at night, temperatures drop. The heat seems to be absorbed by the black ocean, its endless depths perfectly calm as the odd star appears in the sky. Or capitol satellite.

I change into my black tshirt and my loose green pants, trying my hair back in a ponytail, leaving my fringe hanging on front of my face. It usually annoys me, but it doesn't now, as I have many more things to worry about.

I stare at my mirror. It has been broken for many years, but I never considered it to be bad luck, until now.

I reach out to it carefully, studying the maze of cracks that were inflicted during the storm. It shows multiple faces, all mine. Like a kaleidoscope.

I shake my head, breaking myself out of my trance, and slip on some of my bracelets. There is one on the old table that I am trying to finish, but I keep putting the thread in the wrong place. It is very frustrating.

The chair creaks as I sit fown on it, lacing up my boots. I make sure to add it to my list of things to do. Fix the chair.

I lace my boots up tight, something I have always done. My father always told me I would cut off my blood circulation, but I never felt comfortable when they were loose. I can feel my toes at the ends of them, they are probably about three sizes too small, but wearing small shoes is not the worst thing I have to endure. It is just something I have to put up with.

I can hear Ryan snoring already. Typical guy.

"Shut up Ryan!" yells Raven. I laugh as he continues to snore, oblivious. She sighs in frustration. I close my bedroom door behind me to stop any bugs from getting in, and creep quietly into the living room. Raven is dying some strips of rope she must have found on the beach.

"Well, lets go then." I smile, proping the door open with my foot.

She gets up, brushing the thread off of her clothes, and walks out of the door. I close it behind me, leaving it locked. Anyone could steal our stuff, as Ryan is prone to sleeping through anything. I move the top of the mailbox up, code for I am fine, I have just gone out.

The cool sea wind blows onto my face as I turn around.

So, we start to walk. I plan to go down to a different beach, just around the cliffs from the usual. One that Raven had never been to before. I found it just a few weeks ago while looking for flint. It is nearer to the town, but it is nice for a change.

I take her along the winding path in silence, along the clifftops where the grass reaches my hips. Raven should have put her hair up, as it keeps catching in the grass.

She takes my hand as I lead her down the dusty path that goes along the cliffsides, taking us down to sea level. The beach is a small strip of land, surrounded by almost beige coloured rocks, with a few caves, that don't go anywhere. The sea will come right in at times, so you have to be careful not to get cut off.

It is mostly sand, but there are shells embedded under our feet. The lights of the gas lanterns in the town glimmer as we reach the end of the path. I jump down into a small pool of water, only a little drop. Raven seems to consider the jump for a while, before sitting down, and sliding her way down.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I say, staring out to the dark sea.

"Of course it is Phoenix. Who would think otherwise?" she asks.

I am about to answer something about capitol people, hating all things natural, but she stops me by stating that it was a rhetorical question.

We alk along, looking at all of the stone slabs that make up the caves. I find my favourite spot, right at the end of the beach, where there Is a colossal boulder, with a flat top. I jump up, gripping the edge, just managing to haul myself up. I reach my hand down, to where she looks up, jumps, grabbing it. I pull her up, and we look out to the beautiful night sky. Not a star in sight though. It must be cloudy.

"Why did you want to go for a walk Raven?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"I wanted to talk about the games. They've been my only thing to really worry about over the years. You don't know how worried I was when I turned twelve, I don't think I have had a full night's sleep since. Why does my first year have to be the one where they put forty eight in Phee? What if I'm reaped. I think we all know I would never win." I listen to her, a single tear slipping down her cheek. She takes out her hairband, a vibrant mix or green, red and black against the night. She wipes her eyes, and ties it back in.

"Raven. Look at me." I say. She doesn't, so I pull her face towards mine, with a gentle hand. She looks into my eyes for a few seconds, then looks down again.

"Raven. It's your first year. Your name is in there one time, and one time only. I know most people say this, but you will not be picked, alright?" she nods and tries to smile.

"Thats my girl." I say, hopping down from the rock.

She follows me like a shadow as I walk along, my hands shoved in my pockets.

"What will we wear to the reaping Phee? We don't want to make our district look bad." she says sarchastically, putting her hand against her forehead.

"Well darling Raven," I say in my mock capitol accent. "I am glad you asked."

She stifles a giggle as we walk along, right to the end.

"Your mother put aside some clothes for you. You will look the part!" I continue. I burst out laughing at that point, unable to continue.

I run my hand along the rough surface of the stone, all of the imperfections scratching my hands.

The wind picks up again and I smile, I love the wind. Right now, I don't mind the dark either, it is nice with company.

Raven taps me on the shoulder, and cups her ear with her hand. I immedietly sense trouble. I listen carefully, and hear the telltale noise of a patrolling boat.

I grab Raven's hand, and run as fast as I can towards the nearest cave. The opening is hidden, but I know where it is, I discovered it weeks ago. I make sure to run on the shells so as not to leave footprints.

We enter the cave, a small one really. It curves to the left, so we are hidden. Raven points to the seabirds nest above the entrance, so we are sure to be quiet as not to disturb the noisy thing. I sit down on the sand floor, waiting for the boat to pass. I mouth a silent thanks to Raven. She just smiles, but it quickly dissappears as the boat noise gets louder. I know it will just pass. I can tell by the speed it is going. I am right, eventually it does. Raven lets out a loud breath and wipes her forehead.

"Its a hard life."I laugh.

"Certainly is." I smile.

I look around the walls of the cave. There is the quiet sound of water dripping, and there are carvings in the sides. Rocks scattered on the floor.

The rock is smooth, the water will have done that. Raven looks around in wonder.

I study the walls, trying to read the writing.

Most of it is sloppy, or covered in seaweed that clings to the walls. Seaweed!

"Raven, have you got your bag?" I whisper, excited.

"Yeah, why?" she asks, picking at the floor.

"Seaweed! We can eat seaweed!" I whisper again, smiling.

"You're right!" she cries. She unzips her bag, and starts helping me to pick it from the walls. The slimey green stuff doesn't look very appetizing now, but once I have cooked it up and dried it, we will have food for weeks!

We pick the wall clean of the stuff, getting every last bit into the bags, then putting random things ontop of it. The peacekeepers would probably have us killed for stealing. This isn't stealing though! There was food here. Nobody was using it. So we took it, and will put it to good use, of course.

I am about to pack up and leave, before the sun rises and any suspicion is raised, I notice that the wall is carved. Where the seaweed was growing, which means it is an old one.

I go up closer to try and make out what it is. I give up trying to read it, so I take a piece of charcoal from the floor, and rub it against the wall.

"what are you doing?" asks raven, raising an eyebrow.

"Look Raven. An old carving. I wonder... What it...says." I say with effort, as I rub the charcoal on the wall. Then, I make it out, and stumble backwards, dropping the charcoal. Taking inthe image.

It is the symbol I have known about since I was born. It is the symbol of hope, the symbol of lost hope for many.

It is the mockingjay pin.

I read the text underneath.

_Don't let the flame go out. Keep the fire burning._

This must be old. Older than I am. Older than my parents. Evidence that there was a rebellion. The capitol was opposed.

Now they want us to relight the spark.

If the peacekeepers ever found out we had seen this, they would kill us for sure. I grab Raven's hand and start to run out of the cave, towards the carved steps in the cliff. The sun has risen akready, I can hear the buzz of the market.

I hold onto the black bars protecting the townsfolk from the cliffs as we run home.

Eventually, our hut comes into sight, the pale blue painted wood, old mailbox, few windows.

We start to slow as we walk up the hill, and I flick the mailbox flag down , meaning everyone is here.

Ryan is up early, and is sitting trying to play my guitar. I lock the door behind us, and we run in, sitting on the sofa.

"Raven, do not tell anyone. Ever." I burst out. " Apart from Ryan. I need to go and unpack your bag, give me a minute." I say, trying to catch my breath.

"Ryan, we got seaweed. Anyone asks, its from the market." I pant, putting it out over the fire to dry in flat strips.

"Awesome! I totally want to eat green slime!" says Ryan.

"Its good for you, and it is food Ryan, remember that." I say, taking on the mother role again as the salty smell drifts through the house.

I unpack some driftwood I collected for the fire, and put it in the woven log basket.

When I walk back through to the living room, Raven's eyes are still lit up.

"Don't you see Phee, the rebellion! its not over, we could start it all over again!" she says excitedly, having obviously told Ryan what we discovered.

"Raven, from the things I have heard, it really isn't worth it. So many people died." I say, shaking my head.

"Prove it." she says, raising an eyebrow again.

I nod to Ryan.

"There was a song, written many years ago. It has been banned for ages, most compare it to how people felt and behaved during the rebellion. And dad taught it to us when we were twelve. Here goes nothing."

I take the homemade guitar from Ryan, I am the only one who can play. I start to play the simple notes of the song.

Raven looks entranced as I begin to sing. I hardly ever sing, and when I do, I am alone. My mother could sing. She taught me how to. She user to call me her little bird.

_Are you, are you coming to the tree,_

_Where they strung up a man they say he murdered three,_ I start, trying to imagine the sight. Me, sitting by the tree, the peacekeepers are stringing up man from our district for murdering three capitol citizens. Raven just stares as Ryan does the next two lines in his deep voice.

_Strange things have happened here, no stranger would it be,_

_If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree._ I sing along with him, letting his voice overpower mine, the opposite every two lines. I imagine a girl and a boy, meeting up by the ropes.

The next image, a man, calling for his love to run into the woods as the peacekeepers shoot him down, he falls by the tree. The girl and the boy.

The next image, the man, calling down from the sky, for his wife to meet him at the tree, telling her to run, telling her to be free.

The last image, the girl with a necklace of rope, the man beside her. United in death as the gunshots ring out around the tree. Around Panem. I finish the song and put down the guitar.

"It was that bad huh?" says Raven, looking down at the floor.

"Worse than that Raven. Do not go up against the Capitol, their time will come, okay?"

"Okay." sighs Raven.

I put the guitar in the corner, and go to check on the seaweed.

"Nice voice by the way." says Raven, directed at both of us.

We both nod, and I turn the seaweed over. It is pretty much good to eat now. I put it in one of our baskets.

After I have finished, I stamp the fire out, as the sun rises in the sky.

It will be a good idea to stay inside today, after our recent discovery. I try not to dwell on it. I need to take my mind off of all these negitave things.

The huge countdown projected onto our wall is not helping me forget.

Six days. Thats all. Two weeks and I could be dead.

Or I could be back home eating seaweed. Calm down. I say to myself.

I run through to my room and sit down, trying to forget everything that happened today.

I take the dyed thread, and I start to cross it over itself to make the right pattern. I try to put all of my attention into it, to finally get it right.

But the space in the back of my mind is always filled with worry.

I clasp the rather messy bracelet around my wrist and tie it. Better than nothing.

I need Will to take my mind off of the games. He seems to be the only one that can, if only for a few seconds.

All day I wait for him to hear my desperate plea, to suddenly turn up, but apparently not.

I go downstairs, and set out the seaweed on the plate with a little bread. Ryan pulls a face, but Raven is keen to try it.

I put the broth over the fire.

As soon as I pull out the driftwood I collected, Ryan smiles, picking out bits of seaweed from between his perfectly square teeth. I open the windows.

Raven looks at me curiously as I put the driftwood on the fire, it turns sort of green first, but then, it turns to the beautiful blue flame I am used to.

Raven stumbles back a little, afraid something has gone wrong. Natural instinct.

"Woah. That's awesome. I didn't know fire came in different colours!" she laughs, leaning closer.

I grab her hair before it goes too near the fire. She doesn't notice.

"How does it do that?" she asks in complete astonishment. I laugh as her eyes widen at the lavender smoke rising from it.

"Nobody knows. Closest thing to magic I can think of." I smile. Ryan nods in agreement.

She continues to gaze in wonder until I lift the pot, and put the fire out. She pouts for a while after that, but then gets stuck in.

It is nice to know I made someone happy today.

After another round of washing up, I wrap kyself up in my blanket and lie down.

I feel myself starting to drift off.

Eventually, I do get to sleep, but I dream of the cave.

Where else could there be remainders of the rebellion, remainders of hope?

What could I find?

It isn't a good idea to peruse my thoughts further, it is not a good idea to be associated with any rebellion, past or present, in any way.

My dreams take a darker turn. What could happen if I was reaped six days from now?

I must stay strong. I will not be the next person to be sporting a necklace of rope, I will not be the next victim of the hanging tree.

**So, that was chapter three! Please tell me what you think in the reviews, for the full version of the hanging tree song, read the hunger games books, or go to Youtube, the version sung by adriasairus is great. Obviously some sparks of the old rebellion, thinking of making a sequel to this based on demand by the end of the story, tell me what you think!**

**By the way, the beach is actually based on a real one in a place called Whitby. I was taken aback by the beauty of the town, and especially that beach. The cave is real too, if you are ever there, be sure to search for it, it is nowhere obsucure, just on the beach where everyone is! Although there is not mockingjay carvings! There is however, the birds.**

**Chapter four coming soon, stay tuned!**

**Bethany x**


	4. Chapter Four - Box Full of Memories

**Chapter four! Already! Trying to make them longer, but I want to spread the story out.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own the hunger games. They belong to Suzanne Collins.**

Chapter Four - Boxes of Memories

I was sleeping comfortably. Until now. I don't know what time it is, but I am guessing that it must be around one in the morning, judging by the absence of light.

I yawn and wrap myself back up. I must mave been hearing things. I wouldn't be surprised to be honest.

I haven't felt this tired in ages. Might as well get the sleep while, I can, I will probably have an early start.

I lie down, getting myself comfortable, when there it is again. _Ping. _A pause. _Ping._

I judge that it is coming from the front window, and sink to the floor, creeping up. My heart is beating fast, I don't know what or who it is, or what they want.

I push myelf against the wall beside the window, and carefully peek behind the ripped curtains. I wait for a while._ Ping._

I see the piece of gravel hit the window and bounce to the ground. I freeze, and go back to the wall. I hear a whisper.

"Phee! Phee! It's Will!" says the voice.

I have to consider the fact that it could be the peacekeepers. I gather up my courage, and slowly peek around the edge of the window again.

I breathe out a sigh of releif as Will smiles up at me.

I go around to the door, opening it and ushering him inside.

We sit down in my room.

Not used to nat having any form of bed, he sits down on the floor.

I close the door behind us, and wrap myself up in my blanket.

"You scared me!" I sigh as he studies my face.

He laughs.

"Don't laugh at me!" I try to keep my face serious, swatting at his arm, but he just continues to smile. Eventually, my face breaks out into one too.

I try to go back to pouting. A failed attempt.

"So anyway," I begin. "Why did my mysterious and ever so swoon worthy boyfriend show up at my house at this hour?" I ask in a mock capitol accent, pressing my hand to my forhead and pretending to fall backwards.

"Your ever so mysterious boyfriend is here to tell you that the deals in the market are much better in the morning, earlybird. You look hungry. So does Raven." he says, poking my ribs. I flinch back. They stick out so much it hurts. I would give anything to be so well fed that they would dissappear. Well, not anything...

"Ryan however..." he starts, smiling.

I finish for him. "Is a pig. I am putting him on a diet of seaweed and water." I laugh.

He smiles. "I could do with that. I am getting a little tubby." he says, trying to grab his imaginary gut.

"Oh Will, lay off the beer." I smile.

"I will try." he smiles, joking. He doesn't even like alcohol. Plus, he is so toned, I wouldn't be able to find any fat anywhere on his body. Must be strength building pulling up the fish nets.

"I would actually like to try some seaweed though. Where'd ya get it?" he asks. A totally innocent question in his book.

"Just... Around." I say vaguely. I can tell he doesn't belive me.

"We took all of it anyway. I will let you try a bit of ours next time I am cooking it up if you want." I offer calmly. Stating the truth, just keeping some bits out. Yes, the perfect way to avoid troble.

"That would be nice." he nods.

He knows I am eager to get back to sleep. In a way, I want him to stay, to make the sense of slipping comfort go away, to make all my worries wash out with the waves.

"Well, I gotta go..." he says, standing up and dusting himself off.

I wrap my arms around his neck on tiptoe. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls back.

"Remember. Market. Morning. See you there earlybird." he says, disappearing from sight.

I smile and wave, but he is already out of the door.

I sigh and lock it, wandering back through to my room, trying to ignore the countdown on the wall, which now reads that we have five days.

I sit back down on the floor. It suddenly seems uncomfortable. Maybe it is just in my mind. I sigh and lie down, trying to get back to sleep. It seems I can't though, no matter how hard I try.

This is usual though. Every year before the reaping, I would become very nervous. I am like that. I always have been.

Once upon a time, my mother would comfort me when it came to this time of year, then, after she died, my father. After both of them were gone, I just didn't know what to do. So fear took over my mind and became a constant trait. I am always worrying about things, overthinking. Paranoid, my mother used to call me.

I listen to the sea and the noise of the old fishing boats coming in for the market. Nothing works. Not even counting sheep, as we are not a farming district, and I have no idea what sheep look like, but the older people in the district tell you that counting sheep will help you sleep.

So, I decide to get up. Early.

I pull a tightly fitted green tshirt over my head, either that of it is too small. I check the label. Age 14 - 15 is written on it in shaky handwriting. I am sixteen. Oh well.

Judging by how hot it is already, I know the heatwave will have continued.I pull on my roughly cut denim shorts I made from trousers.

I still don't bother brushing my hair, I just toss it over my left shoulder, where it stays, and let my fringe down.

I put on my woven canvas shoes, they are still very, very big.

I grab my backpack, and take out all of the fishing lures, hiding them in one of the cupboards, the same with the rods.

Then, I realise what time it is, I can go fishing! I could sell some of the fish too.

So, I take my rod, a couple of lures, and quietly walk out of the door. As soon as it is closed I turn from walking into a slow jog.

I make my way along the cliffs, and down the narrow path, all the way down to the old pier. I sit down. I have done this before, and I know the fish will be in the shadows of the shallow water. I cast out my rod and start pulling them in. I stay very alert, as a peacekeeper patrol boat could come around the corner any second, but all I hear is the wind and the waves.

As soon as I think I have got enough fish to sell, and feed the family, I quickly pack up, and walk down the pier. I consider going back to where I found the seaweed, but put the thought out of my head for now. I would be shot if the government could read my mind. Definatley. Instead of taking my usual path up to the hut, I take a different one, one that leads up to me market, at the edge of the town. I hope to sell some of my fish to the people setting up stalls, as they will pay good cash for fresh fish.

After making my way up half of the steep hill that leads to the town, I come to the steps that are carved in the white stone. It makes it a lot easier to get up to the town before the market starts, I can hear the buzz already.

The cold sea wind is getting colder than usual, a sure sign that autumn is coming, I need to take this into consideration when I think of what to buy. I go into the area that has a destinctive fishy smell around it. There are a lot of people already there, so I have to hurry. After a few false starts, I manage to sell most of my fish for a decent amount of money. I clutch it close to me incase anyone fancies stealing it.

So, I go and buy some foods that we really need to stock up on. Foods that will last a long time. I don't need firewood, I can find that on the beach.

I wonder along the random stalls, and decide it is a good idea if I am warm for winter. So, I invest in some new blankets to put ontop of the others, and an okay looking matress. Well, more like a long pillow. Since Ryan and Raven have their own. I might actually sleep tonight.

I would have bought a chicken or goat instead, but they would never survive the cold weather, and would most likely be eaten by one of our neighborhood foxes.

I decide to take the rest of the money home. It is only a small amount, but my father always told me to leave a little bit of cash, just in case.

I gather up my things, and hold them awkwardly under one arm while walking back along the stalls as the market starts to get busier. I spot Will in his usual spot, busy with customers that come to buy the fish that his father bought.

He looks up from wrapping something in a brown paper bag and waves, flashing me my favourite smile. I smile back and shrug, I obviously can't wave back with the amount of things I am holding.

He laughs and hands the bag to the customer. I start to walk back home again, carrying everything under my other arm. I take the path for once, to make it easier. I know Raven will be away at school, she is required to go for at least three hours a week. The rest of the time she is meant to be helping Ryan and I do jobs, but she is useless really, come to think of it, so is Ryan. Most of the time. When I get back he helps me put my things inside.

I set up my matress in my room, and fold all of my blankets ontop of it. Most poor people in our district have at least a bed, but we really are the poorest. None of us are signed up for extra grain or oil though, my father would never let us, even in the hardest times. We almost did after the storm, but Ryan stopped us. I am thankful he did.

I check the timer on the wall and sigh. Five days. The town is already preparing. Banners are being put up to cover ugly shop fronts and there are already peacekeepers setting up tv cameras around the square. The whole district seems quieter, and I know the few days before the reaping are when the adults are generous to us kids. Ryan often brings home a load of vegetables that he gets for an extemely reduced price. He is good at that kind of thing. I'm not. I can't put on the puppy dog eyes and beg for food. If something I need is a fair price, I will buy it. If its not, I will walk away. That's how I deal, everybody in town knows that.

I decide to sort out what I am wearing for the reaping, and Raven too. Ryan can sort himself out.

I know where all of my mother's things are kept, in our very small cupboard. I make my way through to the living room, and take the key from the necklace I wear. It is old and rusty, so sometimes I have to use wire to open the door. It works this time though. I pull open the door and waft the dust away from my face, trying not to breathe it in.

I pull out a few boxes, trying to find the one i am looking for. After looking through whole boxes of documents, and a few old keepsakes that I don't want to look at, I don't want to remember, I find the right one.

It is sort of a tradition in the poorer parts of district four that the mother's eldest daughter should wear her wedding dress to the reaping. It is the first year I have been able to fit into it. It is pretty much like all of the other dresses, an off white, long, shapeless skirt, a ribbon around the waist, and thin spaghetti straps. It is made of itchy, shiny, cheap material.

Though I was never at my parent's wedding, the dress reminds me of her. It smells like her. The strange mix of lilac and sea air. It was from a perfume she used to wear, one she made herself and kept in small jars, occasionally selling some at the market. I have never been able to find any of it after she died. She told me she would tell me the recipie when I was old enough to know how to make it. She never got the chance.

She had also put aside a dress for Raven's first reaping, she was a very prepared, organized woman.

The dress is light blue, and from what I can tell is knee length, with white buttons and frills. I guess she wanted Raven to be girlier than me. That was my reaping dress when I was twelve, but it was just plain blue. She added the buttons and frills when we had a spare bedsheet she could cut up. It turned out pretty well in my opinion.

I fold up the dresses and put them out on my desk, then go back to the cupboard, just about to shut it, when I have a sudden pull towards the box. I scoop it up gently as if it were a baby, and shut the cupboard behind me.

I run out of the house and towards the cliffs, staying well away from the edge. The smell of plants fills my nose as I come to the flower field. Thats what everyone calls it. It is full of dark pink and purple flowers, surrounded by willow trees. It really is a beautiful place.

I sit down in the flowers, putting the box down beside me and listen to the wind rustling the leaves.

_Why does life have to be so hard..._ I think to myself. My mind immedietly turns to the capitol, but I just sigh. I could never go up against the authorities. It is their fault I have to live like this though.

I pull off a willow branch and start twisting it absentmindedly. It helps me calm down a little. I twist it into a circle, and mange to tie it. I make it fly around my wrist while I think of how Raven will handle the reaping. How to help. How to stay inconspicuous. I think about the rock carving. The peacekeepers must have discovered it by now, right? Were they searching for a culprit? Perhaps not. The town would be on edge even more it they were.

I pull a handfull of flowers out of the ground in a sudden flash of anger, but then calm down again, and examine how beautiful they are, and start to weave them into my circle to take my mind off of things. Maybe I have anger issues. Nobody can help if I have them anyway, and they must only be mild if I do, I have seen people in worse mental condition in this town.

I start thinking about what could be in store for whoever is picked for the games this year. Any games before the seventy sixth are banned from TV, as they could start rebellions. Like they did when they were showed. So I have never seen a quell. There are older people who know about them, tell tales of them. I try to ignore them.

I look down at my hands and look down at the flower crown I have made. I haven't made one in ages. I haven't made one since my mother died. I don't quite know why, as I don't want to forget her. I guess the pain of loosing her was too much for me. I decide to wear it to the reaping, to take a piece of her with me, to comfort me.

Reaching over to the box beside me is scary but exciting. I am afraid that seeing my mother's belongings again will push me over the edge, but I want to see them. The times when she was alive were good times. Times when I didn't worry about my family starving, about how to get food each day. Times when I knew I had someone watching over me, like a guardian angel.

I pull out the first item, a picture book, held together by string. The pictures are old, and I brace myself for a flood of emotion. I don't let it wash me away though. I see the first picture. It is black and white, and a little stained, but I can make it out quite clearly. It is my mom. She looks amost exactly like Raven. She has an angular face, with thin, long dark brown hair, green eyes and pale skin. She is in her wedding dress, next to my father who is in a white shirt. They are both smiling wildly. They are in the head peacekeepers office, which I recognise well. It hasn't changed. Her hair is to her side with a thick plait running through it. She has somehow managed to make her hair and fringe volumous, maybe some sea water. I see the little freckles on her face, one thing that none of us inherited, but I always loved. She really is beautiful. I see how I got my looks from my father. Tanned skin, blue eyes, and the same smile too.

The next photo is of Mom, Dad, Ryan and me as a tiny baby. They are sitting outside the hut, me in my father's arms. Ryan is looking down at me like a mountain of gold has just appeared before him. I guess he really liked me then. He still does, but that sparkle in his eyes is gone. We all mourn in different ways I guess.

The other one that really jumps out at me is one of me on my first day of school. I have my little pleated dress on, and I am smiling like I used to. Real smiles. Nothing about me seems fake or forced. I had such a carefree life.

I put down the photo album and pull out the next thing. It is a glass bottle full of a clear liquid. I immedietly know what it is. I pull off the cork and the scent of lavender and sea water fill the air. I sigh an take a deep breath in. Her perfume.

I dome to my senses and put the cork back in to keep it from spilling, the beautiful scent still hangs in the air. It is like a big hug from her and I love it.

I place it back in the box and pull out the last two things, one familliar and one not.

It is a diary. My mother's diary. Even though she is gone, I feel like it is an invasion of my mother's privacy to read it. But a page falls out, and I start reading it before I can stop. I instantly recognise the swirling handwriting, kind of like my own.

But it turns out that it is not a page, it is a letter.

_To my darling Phoenix._

_I do hope you are alright. I know you would only look in this diary if anything ever happened to me, so if you are reading this now, just imagine I am here._

I smile as I imagine her arms around me, reading me her beautiful writing.

_Honey, you must, must must be strong. At one point, you will be in the reaping for the fourth quarter quell, and I know you must be scared. From what I can add up in my mind, it will be the new baby's first reaping too. Poor thing. I wish the games didn't exist. But for now, keep me in your memory. Remember, your father and I love you more than the world itself. We would do anything for you. Keep hope in your heart._

_With love,_

_Your mother, Raina._

I hold the letter to my chest, then slip it back into the diary, keeping my memories close, and hope in my heart.

The second item is a familiar storybook. The one my parents used to read to me when I was little. The writing is smudged and the pages are old and torn, so much that I can't read it anymore, but I can remember it off by heart.

The beautiful artwork is still intact though I admire it for a while before turning to the back page.

I see the same beautiful handwriting.

_I do hope you get to read this, new baby._

_Read this and know that mommy, daddy, Ryan and Phoenix love you very, very much. We wish you a great, happy life, and want you to know that you are going into the boxing arena with a giant called Life. No matter how many times he knocks you down, you will get through, and get back on your feet. Life is hard darling, but you have to live it to its fullest._

_We love you._

_Mom, Dad, Ryan and Phoenix._

I remember writing my name on that letter. Mom was a very sentimental person. I remember she used to write lots of letters. I even remember her deciding on Raven's name with my father. It was always the favourite.

I put away the book and close the box, gazing out through the meadow.

After a few minutes of being dazed at about how kuch my parents wanted me to suceed, to strive, to survive, I stand up and take a deep breath.

I walk all the way through the meadow, and back to the hut.

Raven is home. I didn't know I had been out for that long. It felt like a few seconds. A few seconds with my mother, who is still alive in my heart.

I know Ryan already found his letter, it is tucked away in his room. He looks at it every night. I have never read it, and although I am curious, I respect his privacy and would never look at it without his permission.

I sigh and sit down next to her, putting the box down gently.

"You smell nice." she comments vaguely, trying to plait her hair.

I pause, waiting for her to recognise it, but then I realise she never got to smell it.

"Mom's perfume. I found it in this box." I whisper.

She turns around and wipes the tears off of my face with her thumb.

"Mom's things? You found em?" sheasks, smilings as her eyes start to pool up with tears.

"I knew where they were all along sweetie!" I smile. "I just didn't want to make myself or you sad." I say, fishing into the box and pulling out the storybook.

She takes it from me and opens it gently.

"Phee, I can barely read normal writing, nevermind the font in this book - its too damaged." she says, squinting at the writing.

"Thats not it." I say, turning all the pages to the back

She gasps as she realises it is adressed to her. She seems to read it a few times over before actually soaking it in. Then, she pulls me into a hug. We both start crying, trying to stop, but wanting to let it all out. Those years of sadness seem to be coming to an end.

Ryan stands in the doorway and smiles. I pat Raven on the shoulder, then leave her to look at all of the things as I get up to go and see Ryan. Igo into his room and we talk about the letters for a while, about the great times we had with Mom.

"We have to move on." I say, looking out of the window into the orange hue of the setting sun.

"I know." he says, smiling at me.

"We have to live life to the fullest, its not like we're going to get out alive." I muse to myself.

He laughs. "True words sister. We have to stop being so sad."

We walk back into the living room where Raven has gone back to plaiting her hair. Her eyes are still red though.

"Raven. Are you okay?" I ask carefully. This is usually when she has tantrums.

"Yeah, I heard you and Ryan, and I have decided you are right. Thanks for looking after me guys." she says, and yet again, turns back to her hair. But not before we pull her into a hug. She puts on her tough girl attitude and smacks us off after a few seconds, but those few seconds meant so much.

**So that was chapter four! Tried to make it a little longer and delve into the character's pasts a little so that you know them better. I really need some reviews to let me know how I am doing, and I know people hate it when writers do this, but I need at least one review before I put up the next chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter Five - New Rules , New Game

**Hey, I'm back! Thanks for the review Sarah, it means a lot.**

**So, chapter Five! Lets go!**

**I do not own the hunger games. Suzanne Collins does. Sorry about any typos, anywhere - my program does not have spellchecker**

Chapter Five - New Rules, New Game

After yesterday's cry fest, I decide it is time to toughen up a bit. I ignore the fact that there is three days until the reaping. I don't let it bother me. Why should it.

Life is getting better. We have more food, I have a bed to sleep on, and it seems like I have finally gotten over loosing my Mom. It wasn't easy, but I'm sure she's happy, wherever she is.

I'm sure the peacekeepers aren't that concerned over the carvings in the cave walls, they will just have covered it up with some grey paint, like they do all graffiti. Well, thats what they call it. I think that it can be beautiful. It can inspire people, it can tell them what they want to hear, or what they don't.

The most famous one, that is most often painted on walls or roads in our district, any really, is the simple phrase

_The odds are never in our favour._

Very true.

Since the schools never taught us how to read, it is a requirement that before you go to school, you must be able to read and write.

Most kids in my district learned from old books or comics, but since we couldn't afford that, I learned to read from the world around me. I would read from graffiti, and write on slate I had found on the beach. I had an education just as good as the other kids in my school. Different, but just as good.

I also learned how to draw from graffiti. Some people can do amazing things with some paint and dye. Of course, my drawings are never as good as those I aspire to, but I can dream. That is one liberty the capitol hasn't taken away from me.

An annoying sound interrupts my day dreaming. It is familiar, I have heard it many times before.

I pull myself up out of bed and look out of the window. The rain comes pouring down. The sea is grey, and the waves are already huge, the sky is filled with dark clouds, which are dangerously close, accompanied by the sound of thunder. It is rare to see it rain here without a storm following. This can't be good. I pull myself away from the window, and snap into action.

"Ryan! Raven! Wake up! Its raining, I can see storm clouds!" I grab my bag and start to pack things into it, anything I can. Food, every single type of food, clothes, my hooks, rods and our reaping things.

Ryan and Raven stumble out of their rooms as I hear the thunder again, a little closer. Ryan grabs one of the bags and swings it over his shoulder.

"Phee. Get out into town, and tell everyone. They won't be able to see yet, they are too far away. It'll earn us some brownie points if we need to get out of here. We'll put up the storm barriers. Go!" says Ryan.

I look around the room for a few second, then pull them both into a hug.

"Be careful." I say.

"Will do." says Raven, letting do and running outside to the shed.

Ryan pats me on the back and runs out after her.

I pull on a coat and some boots, then run out of the door, up the hills.

I can feel the rain soaking through my jacket, making me shiver. I pull it tighter around me, and continue to climb the twisting paths. I slip almost every few steps on the slippery terrain.

Then, suddenly, I realise that it isn't raining anymore, but there is a damp mist in the air.

I run towards the town, to the market, thats where the news will spread quicker. I arrive at the gates, pushing my way through the crowds of people, until I get to the one familiar stall.

I see Will, and he looks a little surprised to see me. He knows that I'm usually fishing at this time.

I run over to him, a little out of breath from my cliff climbing, and he smiles at me.

"Hey Phoenix. " he smiles, kissing my cheek. I push im off quickly.

"What?" he frowns, putting his hand on mine.

"Storm... Theres a storm coming. You have to get out of here." I say quickly.

"Seriously?" he says, leaning over the counter.

I nod, and he shouts at the top of his voice about the storm. Everyone immedietly starts going home, stalls start to pack up.

"Here, I'll help..." I say as he pushes up the sides of the small wooden table.

I take off the huge sheet of plastic from the frame of the tent, folding it as he takes down the frame.

"Thanks." he says, putting the last pole in place.

"You're Welcome." I say, piling up the crates of fish.

I lift up three of the piles of things, and he takes the rest. Together, we walk to his house. I have always admired it.

It is made out of stone, painted white, with light wooden window frames and doors. It has a tiled roof too.

I watch as he puts the stuff in the small shed next to his house. I put the stuff I am holding in too, before he takes out some tools, then closes and locks the door.

He runs up to his house, and I keep up easily. I guess I've been getting a lot of exercise recently. I see the door open, and Will's little sister Megan jumps out at me.

She hugs both of us, and invites us both in. Will's family is quite fond of me. He lost his Mom in the games, but still has a huge family.

Him, his father, Joel, his little sisters, Megan, Emily, and I guess Grace has to count, as she is just a little younger than him. Megan has just turned ten, Emily is seven and Grace is sixteen. He also has two cousins staying with him at the moment, as their parents are away on a huge fishing trip, hoping to make amlot of money. They are Rebecca, who is twenty two and has got a job helping Will out at the stall, and Lewis, who is twelve.

They all do their own things to earn money for the family.

We go into the living room, where they are all sat, gathered around the fire.

Will tells them about the storm, and they immedietly get up, putting the heavy duty shutters across the windows, and turning off the electricity.

I help Emily, who has got her long brown hair caught in a shutter. The whole time she stares out of the window with her big brown eyes. Like Raven does.

"Will, I have to get back to them." I say, staring out of the door.

"Okay. Rmemeber, if you need to come up here, don't hesitate" he says

He pulls me in for a short kiss, and I hear thunder outside.

"Bye Will." I whisper, zipping up my coat.

"Bye Phee. Be careful out there." he says, kissing the top of my head.

I run out of the door, knowing I need to get home fast.

I manage to keep my footing this time. It has started raining here now, so when I arrive back at the hut, I am soaked through.

I slam the door shut, and lean against it for a while, listening to the rain.

"Ryan? Raven? " I yell, they must be here.

"Here." I hear Ryan shout. I walk through to the living room. All the shutters are on, and the small wave shield that we saved up for after Dad died is in place.

"Oh, thank god." I say as I pull them into a hug.

"Will says we can go to his place if things get too rough, okay?" I say as Raven leans against my shoulder.

"Thats good." says Ryan shivering. The hut seems to be icy cold. The fire is on and everything, burning what little driftwood I could find on the beach.

I reach my hands out and warm them. It feels nice. So warm.

I hear the hut begin to creak as the wind howls outside. I pull my siblings closer.

"Body heat, right?" I say as Raven tries to move away, but move back again.

I start to hear the waves hitting the wave barrier. Thats not good.

A few minutes later, the fire starts to go out as the wind and rain comes down the chimney. After a while, it is nothing more than a pile of barely glowing embers. No heat, great.

"Ryan, help me block up the chimney." I whisper, shivering violently as I rub my hands together for warmth.

We move forward, and use the polystyrene packaging that one of the stalls at the market usually leaves to block up the chimney. the howling noise seems more muted now, but can still be heard outside of the house.

In amongst the sounds of rain and the wind, I hear the noise of waves. Waves washing over the shield. Crap. That means the water is only meters away from our house.

I carefully get up as Raven tries to re light the fire and peek out of the window. Sure enough, the waves are soaking into the long grass outside out hut, and are getting closer. This was the mistake my Mom and Dad made. Staying here with waves this close.

"C'mon guys, we have to go, or we'll get swept away." I say, my voice shaking. Raven picks up on my panic and drops the match, wondering over to me. I immedietly block her view of the window, and pull my bags onto my shoulders, throwing two to her.

"No time for looking, we've got to get out of here." I say as I look around for any last things I have forgotten, any last things I could fit in the bags. I already have all of Mom's stuff. Alright. Time to go. There is nothing else I can see that I can fit in my bag.

I zip up Raven's coat and Ryan's bag that he has left open at the back.

Then, I pull open the door, which swings back on me in the wind.

"Lets go!" I yell, and walk out of the door, my hair blowing wildly as the wind pulls my loose fitting hood down.

I try to remeber the way to Will's. It is a different, steeper path up the cliffs. I point them in the right direction as they can't hear me over the wind. I go first anyway.

My hands are covered in cuts anyway, but as soon as I begin that climb in the rain, I can see that the rocks are doing a lot of damage. The rain is washing the blood away. I look down to Raven and Ryan, who are right behind me. I almost loose my footing turning around again.

I get to the top of the cliff and pull the others up.

We run towards Will's house, which I can just see through the trees. The smoke is the main giveaway.

As we walk through the small, dense forest, the trees creak, and we come across some fallen ones. I take some branches while I can for the fire, two bundles, under my arms.

Ryan leads now, taking us right up to the door.

I can hear voices inside, and it is Will's father that opens the door, ushering us inside, and struggling to shut it again. I help, flicking down the lock after pushing it shut.

I put my soaked hood down as my body tries to absorb the warmth in the house, a burning feeling spreads throught my body.

I rub my hands together again.

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to." says Joel sincerely.

"Thank you." I smile, genuinley.

"Yeah, thanks." says Ryan.

We walk through to the living room where everyone is huddled around the fire.

Will turns around.

"Ryan! How you doing man?" he says, then realises we just walked through a storm.

"Come sit by the fire." says Emily.

I sit down between Rebecca and Will, with Raven, Emily, and Megan sitting in front of us. I put the branches and twigs I collected in front of me, so we can put any in the fire when we need to.

"How d'ya have time to collect twigs darlin?" asks Will

"Oh shut up Will. just be grateful." says Rebecca.

I laugh as he hangs his head in mock shame.

The fire has started to warm me up already. The wind is more muted through the stone walls, and the only creaking comes from the nearby forest.

"This is nice..." I say, warming my hands by the fire.

"mmmmhhhhmmm" says Ryan

I bring out some crackers to snack on. Not the best snack, since they dry out your mouth, but we have loads of water from the well which sits outside.

We have left our bags in the corner, as there is no threat of sea flooding here. We are too high up. There is threats of flooding just from the rain, but that wouldn't be as drastic.

I hear the projector starting to turn itself on and know a weather report will be coming on. There will definitely be a fish shortage for the capitol if this lasts any longer.

I see the blank wall starting to glow, and then, the blurred image comes into focus. I was right.

"And now for the weather reoprt on district four." says a chirpy capitol voice.

I sigh, imitating it, getting a few laughs out of the people around me.

There is a map of panem on the screen, zooming in on district four. It shows heavy rain sweeping in and lots of flooding.

"The storm will stay until about two o'clock tomorrows,clearing, leaving the weather perfectly sunny and dry for the reaping-" says the woman standing in the corner.

I grab the remote and quickly press the power button, trying to turn it off. I don't want to hear any more about the reaping.

It won't turn off though. I panic, pressing it over and over.

"Why won't it turn off?!" I cry.

"There must be an announcement coming up next." says Joel.

"About the games?" asks Rebecca.

"Must be." repiles Ryan, pulling me into a hug, trying to calm me down. Whenever I am really, really scared of something, I tend to have a physical reaction, it can range from clenching my fists to having to get up and run around for a while.

I can't move when Ryan hugs me, and I finally calm down. It just ends up in me breathing rapidly in and out.

The weather report ends, and I hear the capitol anthem playing. I cover my ears and hug my knees up to my chest.

"You're alright Phee." says Will.

I try to calm down again, and this time it works.

I watch as Cesar Flickerman II introduces president Watson. This really can't be good. I hear everyone hold their breath as the crows goes wild.

After adressing the crowd, he takes out a piece of parchment paper, sealed with the capitol seal in red wax.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the gamemakers of this year's Hunger Games have made a few changes to the rules. As well as the original fourth quarter quell rule changes,there will be some extras. There will be two to be exact." he starts. The crowd cheers, and my heart starts to beat faster.

"The first rule change is that instead of the original ages of twelve to eighteen for the contestants, the ages reaped will be ten to twenty, meaning more people have a chance for the honor of representing their district in the hunger games." he says. The crowd roar with excitement. Will turns to Megan. Then I remeber, she just turned ten.

"Oh my god Megan, its okay, its alright." I whisper as she bursts into tears. I look over to Grace, who is crying for her.

"Hey. You're name will only be in once, it's fine." says Will.

"And the next rule is that all the name slips shall be put in one bowl, the teams do not have to be evenly split between males and females. It will be totally randomized. "

I let out a deep sigh at that rule. It does not effect the odds as much as the other one. I mean, in a way, the first one is good. It means an individual person has less of a chance of being reaped, as there are many, many more people. Sucks for anyone who thought they had escaped the age limit though. I start to panic again, but everyone is panicked enough, I don't need to add to it any more. I know I need to calm everyone down. I mean, the odds could be in our favour this year.

Cesar signs off and the projector turns itself of fa few seconds later. Now, all that I can hear is the howling of the wind next to the roaring of the fire, and I know that the fourth quarter quell, will be a whole new game thanks to the rules.

**Okay, so that was chapter five! Kind of sudden with the storm, but that seems to be the kind of climate that they would live in. It will have cleared up by next chapter. Im going to be really bad and ask for one more review before I continue to write. Thanks!**

**BethanyDee x**


	6. Chapter Six - If I Could Turn Back Time

**Chapter Six! We are getting closer and closer to the games, sorry if all this stuff before is boring you, but I'm really trying to build the character's personalities. Im also trying to point out what kinds of skills they have. I do not own the hunger games, Suzanne Collins does.**

**Chapter Six - If I Could Turn Back Time...**

We stay awake throught the night. I can't sleep when I know danger is lurking. Instead, I stare into the fire, ocassionally adding a twig or two, making sure that it doesn't go out. After the announcemnet, Megan has never left my sight. She is curled up beside me, breathing quietly. I can't tell if she is awake or not.

Ryan is sitting by the window, looking out.

"I think we should go back when its clear. See whats been done." he whispers.

"We'll go back after the reaping, if we come back." I whisper back. The huge timer on the wallreminds me we only have one day left.

"Dont say stuff like that Phee." mumbles Raven, turning over to face me, careful not to disturb Grace. I listen to the howling wind outside.

"Its alright Phee." says Will, who has stopped snoring for once. I nod, and go and join Ryan by the window. Megan gets up and follows me over, curling up beside me again when I sit down.

"Megan, you'll be warmer by the fire. Go sit down over there. I'm right here if you need me." I whisper.

"I need you." she replies, closing her eyes.

I decide to let her do what she wants. She is already petrified.

I stare out of the window, trying to see into the infinite darkness that surrounds us. It seems that the storm is calming, just like the report said. Slowly though.

"Go to sleep Phee. I'll wake you up if anything happens." says Ryan.

I fight sleep for a while, drifting in and out of consciousness, but must go to sleep eventually, as I wake up to the sound of the fire being put out. I shakemyself, angry for going to sleep and not watching over everyone.

Everyone else is already awake. How embarrasing. I must have needed it. I get up. My back hurts from sleeping upright, but I ignore it.

"Morning Sleepyhead!" shouts Ryan.

I sigh and walk through to the kitchen, where there are a few plates full of food. Not much for the amount of people in here.

"How about I go and get us some food?" I ask. The storm seems to have died down enough to be able to go and get some fish, the peacekeepers will be preocupied just now.

"That would be great Phee." says Joel. "But we won't let you go alone. How about you take Ryan and Grace with you. Everyone else is going round, sorting things out. The wind and rain did some damage."

I personally like fishing without company, but I can see why he doesn't want me to go by myself.

"That'd be great. Thanks Joel." I smile.

"Bathrooms to your right." he says. I nod, and pick up my bags. I lock the door and look at myself in the cloudy mirror.

I change into a plain shirt and jeans, the warmest clothes I have. I still have my usual boots on. I try lifting turning the tap, but as expected, no water comes out. I sigh and decide that I will just put up with the mud. The cuts from yesterday aren't that bad, so I leave them alone. Again, I don't bother trying to do something with my hair. I can leave that for tomorrow.

I open up my bags, making sure everything survived the trip. I know most of the string on the fishing rods has broken so I will probably need to fashion some spears. That's exactly what I'll do.

I unlock the door and walk back through, to see the sky clearing a little. Another good sign that the weather will get better.

Grace and Ryan are waiting for me by the door. We are about to set off when I hear Rebecca shout,

"Hey, you're going to freeze wearing that. Take this."

She throws a green parka at me, and I catch it.

"Thanks Becca." I smile, pulling it on, before opening the door and heading out. The storm really did do some damage, there are trees strewn everywhere. Will is checking on his old motorcycle he has been working on. He found it in the junkyard, probably owned by one of the richer people in town. It is rusty, and hardly works, but he still puts time into it. Something to take his mind off of the games I suppose.

The ground is wet, and I have to watch were I step, as there are floods everywhere. Not to mention debris. I can't imagine what our hut will be likeI pick up a few sharp bit of metal, and some long branches. I have some strips of fabric from Raven, the thickest ones we could find, to help stick them together. I promised her I'd return them to her, as it is too dangerous to keep spears. Too noticeable.

We pick all the things we need, and start following the narrow path down to the beach. Through fields at first, but then, back down to the cliffs. We get down, and instead of walking up onto the pier, we walk underneath it, sheltered from the gentle drizzle of rain and breeze. We sit down on the slimy rocks and start to assemble our spears.

"I didn't know your hair was that curly Phoenix." says Grace.

"Its not. Its just the humidity." I say, running my fingers through it.

"Ahh, girl talk." mumbles Ryan, before laying his first spear on the ground. The spot I have picked has shallow waters, with many rocks on the seabed. The bigger fish tend to be out in the deepest parts, but today isn't the best day for swimming.

Once our spears are done, we all go seperate ways to see where the best spot is. I am the first one to get a fish. I put it in my some brown paper that will game me, saying it would keep them fresher, then into my bag. It feels nice to have the water wrapping itself around my feet again, even if it is grey instead of blue today. I try to stick to the rocks, but I tend to wander out into deeper waters after a while. I see bits of wood floating around, and i am tempted to take them for firewood, but i know they would never burn. Its a shame what seems like a couple of hours, we all meet up under the sun, which has decided to show itself. I smile as its golden rays hit my face. I love the sun. Especially seeing it after long periods of bad weather. In some ways, it reminds me of hope. After the storm, there can still be sunlight. I watch as Ryan tries to jump from rock to rock, but ends up falling. His spear starts to float away, and he runs after it. I laugh, but Grace it too busy following ripples. Her eyebrows are pushed together in a look of frustration. I know better, I know how to be patient, how to wait, at least, whenit comes to fishing. Grace is impatient in general. She has the kind of personality that hou would think nobody likes. She lives herself, can be very bossy, and likes to take charge of things in her own way. But I get on quite well with her. She has earned my trust over the years. She took a disliking to me when i started dating Will, but she has definatley warmed up to me, a lot.

I grab seaweed when I see it, if I recognise it as an edible type. Of course, we will need to re-light the fire, but I'm sure that Will has some firewood at home.

Grace has speared three fish, some of the biggest though. I have managed to get five, but Ryan got six.

We walk onto the beach, and take the spears apart, throwing the pierces of metal away, discarding evidence. The branches are relitivley dry, so will probably burn. Even if the weather is sunny,it is still cold here. Especially after a storm, and you can never be short of firewood. Anyway, if you have too much, you can sell it to someone who will pay for some wood that has been picked up off the floor. Also known as the village idiots.

I put the hood up on my parka to keep the sun out of my face, so that I can see out to sea. We sit on the beach for a while, enjoying how peaceful it is, knowing we will have to go back to the chaos of real life soon.

Ryan turns round to us, brushing the sand out of his hair.

"If you could turn back time, what is one thing you would do?" he asks. I have asked myself this many, many times.

I put my hand up to my eyes and look straight out, into the sun, into the world beyond. I know the capitol wont be watching here. There are no peacekeepers. Just us , and our best friend, the sea.

"I think, I would go back, and stop the capitol from creating the games. I mean, I don't know how but..." I look back to Ryan and Grace.

"I would." I finish.

Ryan smiles, this is how I reply every time. And he knows it.

"If I could turn back time, I would stop the capitol all together. Have a world like before the dark days." says Grace. "Then, the world would be better, no games, and a real life!" she says.

"How do you know that life before the dark days was good?" I ask "Everyoe hated eachother, there were wars, people would turn on eachother..."

"My great grandpa" interupts Grace, "Told me stories. Passed down through generations. On how every person had a beautiful house, their own car, the finest foods, every day! pets which they could afford to feed, hobbies like dance, and playing piano! People had jobs aside from fishing or mining coal, they still existed, but some people would work in fancy offices, they evn had ice cream trucks!" she says, stars in her eyes.

I chuckle. The ice cream truck storu is one that is commonly passed around district four.

"Sounds good to me." says Ryan. We fall silent again as we look out.

"I wonder whats out there. Beyond panem..." I say. Almost to myeslf.

"They taught us in geography, remember? All other land in impossible to live in. Either flooded, or nuked." says Ryan.

"Well yeah, but they said that thirteen was nuked. There must be something out there. Someone, who is just standing by, watching from afar. Doing nothing." I say.

"Who would want to mess with the Capitol though?" asks Grace, throwing a stone out to the waves.

"Someone more technilogically advanced, which is possibe. I mean, we have been doing the same stuff for years on end." I say.

"Possible, but why start another war?" asks Ryan. "The capitol, they just won the war with the rebels, they were almost defeated. They don't want to take that chance. They're afraid of us, belive it or not. They keep us caged in, where we can't get them. If anyone else is watching us, they will know that."

"For someone who so unbelievably stupid, you are acting incredibley smart, Ryan." I say.

"But if you could go to a different place, beyond Panem, if you had the opportunity, would you go?" asks Grace, "I mean, it could be just as bad as here, if not worse."

"See, this is what the capitol have done to us. Programmed us into being afraid of freedom." I say, pulling my legs up to my chest. "I would go. Go to different place or die trying." I say confidently, as if it would ever happen.

"And darlin, I would run with you. Away from four. Away from panem." says Ryan.

"You really are starting to talk like Will Ryan. Oh well, they say imitation is the highest form of flattery." I laugh. But I am touched that he would come with me.

"Oh Ryan! you always know the right things to say!" mocks Grace. She says she hates him, but I know she likes him really, as a friend anyway.

We lie there for a while, but as I said, great times must come to an end. I get up and dust myself off, picking up my bags.

"Time to go, Already?" says Ryan, sticking out his bottom lip like a child.

"Yes Ryan, time to go." I laugh.

We walk, slowly, reluctantly back up to Ryan's house. The ground is drying up now, so I can take the paths I know best, which are riddled with tree roots and rocks.

We make it back up to the house, and immedietly take the fish out of our bags. They won't keep, so Will immedietly puts them over the fire that Raven has managed to get going. Lewis is out getting water from the well, as the water still isn't working.

While the fish is cooking, I decide to try and socialise a bit more, it seems to have lifted my spirits, knowing I have good friends who I can share my opinions with.

Megan has stopped following me around now, but still never leaves my sight. Emily is nowhere to be seen, probably picking out a dress for the reaping. She is like that. She likes to look good, no matter what the occasion, which I find completley and utterly pointless. I have more important stuff to do. Like finding food, practicing with my spear and such like, so that if I do get reaped, I will have half a chance of surviving. I hope I wouldn't have to rely on the capitol.

I look back up at the timer. Just under a day. I start to panic, and feel the need to jump up again, but I stay down, until the waves of panic wash over me.

I don't know how long it has been, but I am calm now. I think I might get panic attacks, as I know what to look for in a person. My father used to have them, and we would have to help him. I can do this on my own though. I have to.

I start to smell the fish cooking, and open up a window. I am sick of the smell.

I suddenly notice that Megan is beside me. She is such a quiet child. Dainty and quick, you never notice she is there, and if you do, she could sneak away at any moment. Her wide eyes remind me of those of an animal.

"Hi Megan. Rough day?" I ask. She stares out of the window for a while as if thinking, and nods. If I didn't know her real age, I would have thought she was about six. Emily acts like the older sister, and tries to make herself a mini version of Grace. From what I know, Megan looks like her mother.

"Ready to eat?" I ask, trying to get through to her. She nods again, eagerly. I laugh.

"Megan, seriously, cat got your tounge? Whats up." I ask, leaning on my elbow.

"Im scared." she states, looking over to the timer, ticking away on the wall, then back to me. I know this feeling well. I got it on my first reaping, and I have been trying to help Raven.

"Megan, honey, you're name is only in there once. Do you know how many kids there are in this district?" I ask her. She looks puzzled for a second, but then guesses,

"A thousand?" I keep back a smile.

" Tens of thousands Megan." I say, I lift up my hands.

"Imagine how many fingers that would be." I say. I can see her little mind working as I wiggle my fingers.

"Now look at this." I say, holding up one finger. "Thats you. Out of all of those people, who have their names in more than you. One, in tens of thousands. The odds are in your favour Megan, okay?" I smile reassuringly. This is what my father had told me, after I had lost my mother, preparing for my first reaping, my hair an pigtails, my frilly blue dress on.

She looks at least a little reassured.

"Thanks Phoenix. Lets just hope the odds are in my favour." she smiles, looking down.

"Hey, I havent been reaped yet, and the odds have never been in my favour. I'm sure that you'll be okay." I say. True. The odds never have been in my favour really.

Will shouts that dinner is ready, and I get up, reluctantly. I had found the perfect way to sit aginst the wall without being uncomfortable.

I walk through, and see that almost everyone else has a chair, apart from Lewis and I. He puts the bucket of water down on the floor and sighs.

"This is what I get for hard work?" he asks, kneeling down on the floor where there is a plate of fish and a few vegetables. I do the same, tucking in. We don't have a dining room table at the hut, so I am used to it. It is normal. The fish actually tastes pretty good. Joel had some sauces left over in the cupboard and must have added it in, as I know for a fact that Raven is no good with flavours. I catch her eye, and she seems to know what I am thinking, and shakes her head. I give her a look that says, you arent catching me out. Ive known you for the twelve years you've been alive, you can't fool me.

She raises her eyebrow, challenging me. I shake my head and tuck back into the food. My body is happy to see some nutrients after two long days of crackers. I wouldn't turn them down if I was offered them, food is food, but they would make me sick eventually. I take a sip of the water, trying to restrain myself, but I just end up gulping it down, like an animal. Guess I was pretty thirsty too. I didn't drink that much, but my stomach seems to have shrunk, so I don't want to push it. I finish up, and volunteer to wash the dishes with the leftover water.

I am halfway through them five minutes after I started, there is hardly a crumb left on any plate, I don't think I was the only hungry one. Will startles me when he wraos his hand around my waist, and I realise I have been daydreaming again. It is dark outside. I put the last dish down and turn around.

"Im almost done Will. Impatient men," I stage whisper, and he laughs, pulling me away from the sink. "Bedtime. We have a big day ahead." he says grimly. I look over at the timer for a short second. The reaping starts at eleven tommorow. I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

"Ill have to do something about this then." I laugh, gesturing to my hair.

"You look beautiful, it dosent matter whether you bother to brush your hair or not..."he starts

I interupt him by putting a finger over his lips.

"I look like I have been left out in that storm and been struck my lightening, don't deny it." I laugh. He starts to argue, but I interupt him again.

"Shut up Will. " I say, and stare at him until we both burst out laughing.

"Night." I say. He kisses me. "Night." he says.

I wonder through to where Raven is, by the fire. I sit down with her.

"Raven, are you okay about to tomorow?" I ask quietly.

She nods and turns to me.

"One in tens of thousands, right?" she asks.

I nod.

"Goodnight." she says, curling up with her back to the fire.

"Night." I say, but I have a suspission she is already asleep. I mover her hair out of the road and curl up beside her. Will did say I could sleep in his bed, but I feel like I need to comfort Raven. After all, we do have a big day ahead of us tommorow.

**Okay, so that was chapter six! Please tell me what you think by posting a review, even if it is only a few words long it means the world! The reaping is coming up next chapter, so stay tuned!**


	7. Chapter Seven - The Unlucky Ones

**This is chapter 7! By the way, thank you for 50 views! Although it kind of saddens me that I only have one review. It only takes a few seconds of your time, and I would like to see at least one more before I continue to upload. Thanks. Can't wait until Catching fire! I am super excited!**

**I do not own the hunger games trilogy. Suzanne Collins does.**

**Chapter Seven - The Unlucky Ones**

The clock keeps on ticking, no matter how much I want it to stop.

No matter how much I want to stay frozen in moments of elation,

Time always catches up with me.

Then, I have to go back to my life in four.

I have to look after my family, and care for myself. We almost never have food on our plates.

But the capitol doesn't care. They just throw us into an arena, and kill us all off for their entertainment.

It makes me wonder, how this became accepted in society. To let us suffer like this.

I wake up, the sunlight is spilling through the window, the sea is crashing against distant cliffs, and I can hear cooking going on in the kitchen. Normally, all of this would make me happy, put me in a good mood. Unfortunately, today, I have been in a bad mood before I even woke up. The emotions run through me, anger, at the capitol, worry, for the rest of my family eligible for the reaping, and fear, for myself. An unavoidable emotion, in my opinion.

I don't have to look at the timer to know that there is only a few hours, until I stand on front of that stage again, watching as someone gets pulled up, and sent off to the capitol. This is why I don't make many friends at school, when I do go. Most of the time I stay at home, and it goes unnoticed, as I have things to do, people to care for. I don't make friends so that I don't have to see them off. Every year, another familiar face, taken away from us. Nobody talks about it. They don't want to be reminded of their loss. We are forced to "Watch" the games. But most of the time, we stare blankly at the screen, trying to ignore the gruesome events going on.

Getting up isn't easy. I want to stay in my dream world, but I know at one point, I will have to go back to reality, and that time is now. I slowlh open my eyes, the light blinding me for a second. The capitol was right about the sunny day following the storm.

I roll over and pull myself up Raven is still asleep, her head was resting gently on my shoulder, and now that I have moved, she has started to wake up too. I stand up on shaking legs, and manage to drag myself through to the kitchen. Raven follows closely behind me with wide eyes.

Everyone is sitting, eating small quantities of food. I don't even care what it it, I just sit down and eat. It gives me an excuse to be quiet, and think.

Ryan puts his fork down, and excuses himself from the table, probably going to get changed. I can tell that he is not happy. I didn't realise the cutlery had been laid out. We don't have any at home, so I never really looked. I slowly put my food down, avoiding eye contact with anyone, and laughing at myself a little. I then pick up my knife, cutting my toasted bread in half, perfectly. I watch as the sunlight glints off of the knife as I put it down and begin to eat again. I don't leave a single crumb on my plate.

I get up slowly, and Megan gets up too.

"Im going to go and start to get ready. I'll be out in a minute..." I say, gesturing towards the door. Everyone left at the table either nods, or goes back to their food. I push my chair in, and walk towards the bathroom, taking my bags with me.

As I stare again into the clouded mirror, I see a different girl. A different me. She looks thinner, washed out. Expressionless.

I tuck my hair behind my ears, and try to twist the tap. After bring stuck for a while, it finally lets out a steady stream of water. I cup my hands underneath the tap, and try to resist the temptation to drink it. I splash it over my face, and rub away with a cloth, trying to wash away all of the dirt. I have a few scars on my face, but barely noticable. My hands are something different. After years of working with spears and hooks, the care covered in scars, scratches, bumps and bruises.

I wash my whole body down with a cold, wet sponge to try and waken myself up a bit, and to clean off more dirt. I try not to look at myself in the mirror. I know that if I had a healthy diet, I would have quite a nice figure, but I have never had the oppertunity to have a nutritional diet, and look like a human skeleton, with bones sticking out against my skin, and no curves at all. I fold my hands over my chest.

I try to pick the dirt out from under my nails which never seems to budge, and partly suceed, they look clean enough by the time I am finished

I move on to attacking my hair next, which is something I hate to do. Grace has let me borrow her hair brush, but I don't really want to use it, even though she has insisted. She has perfectly smooth hair, and even if she hadn't paid any attention to it for a couple of weeks, it would still look perfect. So would her hair brush. If I used her hair brush, it would come back looking life the fishing nets we find on the beach. A mess, with everything that you could ever imagine caught up in it.

I untangle most of the knots by hand, and then smooth it out with the brush. By the end of it, my scalp is stinging like a pin has been put into every follicle.

I force myself to ignore it. I could have worse things to deal with.

I reach into the bag with my mother's things in it, and pull out the long, sliky, shapeless dress.

I pull it on, adjusting the spahgetti straps so that they do not dig in to my shoulders, and make sure it is not on backwards or something.

I pull out the long piece of ribbon, and tie it around the waist, showing off mow stick like I am for the capitol, who seem to think that it is desirable to look like this.

I adjust the pleats on the bodice, making sure they are perfectly smooth. Reaching into the bag again, I find the flower crown I made for myself in the meadow, a mix of light and dark pinks. I put it on my head, making sure that it sits perfectly on my wavy hair.

I look at myself in the mirror. Again, I look like a different girl. My hair falls in waves down to my elbows, and looks shiny, and thinner now that it is not tangled. My mother's dress suits my body seemingly perfectly. It makes my tanned skin seem to look a little darker, and my hair, a little lighter. It makes my eye shape, and colour stand out. The flower crown adds a pop of colour, but also reminds me of my home.

And I know, that if I was to go into the games, my token would be the beautiful carved locket that hangs around my neck, with a picture of Mom, Dad, Ryan and I on one side, and on the other, Ryan, Raven and I.

I look at the girl in the mirror. I hate dressing up for reapings. The girl in the mirror isn't me. I am the girl with the old clothes, the messy, untamable hair and fishing hooks in her backpack, not the young lady that stands before me.

I convince myself that it is a survival technique, get them to like you. Reel the sponsors in, like fish, attracted to bright, colourful bait. Thinking of it that way makes me feel much, much better.

I practice smiling in the mirror, waving, posing. All part of the techique, the facade.

I open up my mother's perfume bottle, and rub some over my wrists and collarbone, inhaling the scent I know so well, and miss so much.

I put all of my things away, and walk out of the bathroom. I can't avoid glancing at the timer. Two hours. A sense of panic sets off inside me, but I take a deep breath, and close my eyes, standing still for a moment.

When I open my eyes, I see Will in front of me, in a light dark shirt and jeans.

"Hey beautiful, " he says, pulling me into a hug. I rest my head on his shoulder, wanting to make it last.

"Hey." I whisper.

We embrace for a while, until I see Megan running towards us and joining in, hugging our legs. We can't help but burst out laughing. She is still in her clothes from yesterday. I shoot a puzzled look at her, but scoop her up and smile, trying to make her feel comfortable. Her eyes still have the wide, watery quality to them, like she is about to burst out crying, which I assume she is. Will goes off into the bathroom, and I put Megan on the floor, knocking on the wall outside Grace's room, it doesn't have a door. She also shares her room with Megan, Emily, and Rebecca at the moment, while Will and Lewis share one. The extra sheets and blankets have been tidied up, as they always are during the day.

Raven is already in the dress. She is sitting cross legged on the floor, repeatedly brushing through her already perfectly straight hair, trying to distract herself. She has borrowed some of Megan's white frills socks, which I know are too small for her. She is trying to make herself look perfect, and I know why. She sees my mother, as an image to look up to, as perfection. This is the only reason she would ever dress up like this. My reasons are different, but I respect hers, and she resects mine.

Grace is trying to make herself look as pretty as possible, but she dosen't have reason. She is just vain. She has tied her caramel hair around socks, her method of making it curl, just past her shoulders. Every now and then, she flips her hair back, out of her strikingly green eyes, and smiles. Practicing. Watching her do this makes my trust waver the tiniest bit.

Megan has finally decided to get dressed. She is in a hand me down from Grace, a pale blue pinnafore, with a little blouse underneath. The corners in her mouth seem to be turned down in a look of disgust as she fiddles with the plaited skirt.

Rebecca is just helping everyone else, and keeping Emily under control, who is running around like she has eated a whole sack of sugar. She doesn't really get what is going on today. She knew the reaping would be sometime, but she didn't know that it would be today. Nobody really wants to tell her.

Everyone is finally ready, or as ready as we'll ever be, and we sit, waiting for the whistle to signify that we have to start lining up. The silence across the district is very eerie, and the mood is horrible. Like everyone is holding their breath. Even Ryan is quiet for once, but nobody has time to take note. We just sit, wait, imagining possibilities, imagining every single thing that could happen, focusing on the negative side.

The whistle finally goes off, and there is a sudden buzz. You can hear footsteps, cries of children, barking dogs, and the even marching of peacekeepers as a hovercraft flies above us.

I get up, ready to face this for another time. Raven grabs my hand, and I can tell that she is not letting go anytime soon. Will's father wishes us all the best of luck.

I know that for the fourth quarter quell exclusively, the capitol thought it would be a great idea to introduce a behind the scenes and extra clips channel. They will film every moment of our lives basically. If we get reaped that is. Which means there are more than a few cameras outside. In the air, aboard hovercraft, perched ontop of buildings, everywhere. As soon as that door opens, I have to act strong.

I bend down to Emily as the whistle blows for the second time.

"Pinky promise you'll see me again?" she whispers. I nod, and take her tiny pinky finger in mine, shaking up and down. I pull her into a hug, and she smiles. The third whistle blows. We really have to go now.

I open the door, and put on a blank face. Not caring. Not knowing.

We walk down the dusty road that I have travelled so many times to get to town, but this time, it is different. I could be walking further and further towards death. Every step, I could be getting closer, and closer to an inevitable moment. Occasionally, we glance at eachother, and look down to the ground again, our feet displacing the stones.

We start to hear the buzz getting louder, and eventually, we see the town square, cleaned up since the storm by the capitol, filled with people. Kids, everywhere. So many peacekeepers I could never count. They all have guns too, occasionally pushing people along with the butts of them. Not enough to causeb a serious injury, but enough to let them know that they mean buisness. I gulp, and try not to show my fear, for Megan and Raven especially. Lewis just walks forward, his blonde hair and glasses glinting in the sunlight.

We stop, just before the sections start.

"Megan. You are over there, the row at the very end. Promise me whatever hapoens, you'll smile. Okay?" I say.

"Okay." she whispers, the corners of her mouth still pulled down in a frown. I pout at her jokingly, and her mouth turns up in a smile, just for a second, showing off her cute chubby cheeks and dimples.

"Thats what I want to see," I smile. Will picks her up and swings her around, before sending her off with a group of her school friends, who are chattering nervously amongst themselves.

"Lewis, you are over with the twelve year olds. Do what Rebecca told you to do, okay?" I say, not wiping off my smile yet, as Raven is still here.

As Lewis walks off on his own, I feel Raven jump up to me, and pull me into a hug.

"One in thousands." she whispers confidently.

"One in thousands." I shisper back, kissing the top of her head as she runs off to her que. I can tell she is desperate to get this over with.

I turn around to Will, and the smile is gone from my face now.

"It'll be alright. " he whispers. I nod, and go up on my tiptoes to be able to kiss him, before we walk over to the ques. My section is full of girls wearing their mother's wedding dresses. Most of the faces I know from school, vaguely at least.

I walk up to the table that has been set up, with a peacekeeper sitting behind it, with a set of small needles.

I put my finger out, and she pricks it, then dabs it on a chart. Her scanner reads, Victoria, Phoenix. I hate it how officials always have to put my name backwards. It sounds boring that way.

"Go ahead." says the peacekeeper next to the gate. I walk through, and join the anxious crowd.

A few decades ago, the career training process was completley eradicated, so everyone knows there will be hardly anybody willing to take their place if they are picked, which adds to the anxiety. I push past the rows of people to go and stand with a group of people I know best from school.

One of them turns around... I think her name is Daisy?

"Phoenix, long time no see." she says, obviously a little surprised.

Angela turns around at this.

"Phoenix Victoria? There was a rumor that you had escaped from D4. A shame it wasn't true. Everyone was so happy for you." she says. I know she has always been jealous of Will and I's relationship. That will be the reason for the nasty edge I her voice.

I smile a little, and am about to say something with an underlying message of hands off my boyfriend, when I hear the capitol anthem blaring through the speakers, followed by the panem anthem.

I watch as the on stage screen lights up, and shows the videos of the two rebellions, and how we have overcome them. Or shall we say, the capitol has overcome them.

There is silence, then quiet applause after the videos.

After that, the Mayor, his wife, and the mentors this year step on stage. They introduce themselves. I remember watching the guy win the games a couple of years ago, but the girl has been a mentor for a long time, and has that capitol look about her. Dark brown hair in tight runglets pinned up in a loose bun, perfect eyebrows as this as pencils, and purple contacts over her obviously brown eyes. The guy looks more like he is from district four. Light hair, dark eyes, tanned skin, no body modification that I can see.

The woman from the capitol, Treasure, has been a mentor for as long as I can remember. She has ridiculously high heeled shoes on which must kill her feet, and her whole body glitters, like it has been painted in the stuff. A golden dress and wig complete the look that clearly states that she is from the capitol, and that she is better than us because she can afford shiny sparkly things. Ah, if only someone could buy her a brain. It would fit in that huge head of hers. I feel myself smiling.

The huge glass bowl almost overflows with paper slips.

She makes her way across the stage, in a well practiced walk. I wonder, if she fell, would the capitol see that as an act of rebeklion and imprison her? Because thats what they seem to do about everything else that is just slightly out of order.

She introduces herself, in her stupidly high pitched voice, and smiles as she reaches into the huge glass bowl. She pulls out two slips, and I have a second to think, while she drops one, that whoever gets reaped, will never be able to forget that monent, will never be able to stop wishing that the other slip had been dropped.

She fumbles with the tape sealing it shut, and opens it up, clearing our throat.

"And our first tribute is..."

Thump, thump, thump. My heart starts to feel like it is going to beat its way out of my chest. I clench my fingers tightly as she tries to figure out how to read. Now is no time for laughing though.

Thump, thump...

"Phoenix Victoria Hocking!" she yells loudly.

It takes a moment to sink in. Me. Going into the games. It takes all of my strength not to fall to the floor, expecting the earth to swallow me whole. I hear an agonized cry from the crowd behind us. Emily.

I take a deep breath, and walk forward out into the path that people have cleared for me. Peacekeepers all around me. I make my way up the stairs, which seems to take forever, as right now, the word seems to be going in slow motion. Sweat breaks out on my forehead, but I ignore it, keeping my straight expression, with the odd forced smile. I go to stand reluctantly beside Treasure. She smiles at me, and asks me a few questions, one to which I sarcastically reply,

"Oh, I couldn't be happier!", but she doesn't seem to get it. She just smiles and clasps her hands to gether, before saying into the microphone, "Such an eager first tribute! "

"Thats me!" I whisper sarcastically under my breath.

So many thoughts are running through my mind as she walks up to the bowl again. I cant sort them into comprehensible words. It is just like a miniute ago, when everyone was talking at the same time, I couldn't pick anything specific out. How I wish it had been the other slip of paper.

My thougts are interrupted by one protruding loud voice though. And it isn't in my head.

"Ryan Thomas Hocking!" yells the voice. "Our first two tributes, who I assume are brother and sister! How exciting!"

I keep back the tears pricking in my eyes as my brother stands on the other side of Treasure. He answers the questions in the same fashion as me.

I ignore the fact that my nails are digging into the palms of my hands, probably hard enough to draw blood, or at least leave a crescent shaped mark.

I look towards him, and he nods back. As if to say that it will be okay. But I know it won't.

"Our next tribute, Grace Alexandra Fisher!" Treasure's face lights up as she watches Grace join us up on the stage. She smiles, and flicks her hair over her shoulder like she did earlier. My heart breaks. All of these people, the people I know and love, could be gone, just like that. A single tear falls down my face as her smile drops for a second, as she catches, Will, Emily, and Megan's eyes.

She has dropped her facadd for a split second, but nobody has noticed, with the exception of me. She is scared too, and maybe, deep down, she isn't vain. I fight back my tears with a smile, and watch through my blurred vision, as Treasure steps forward. She pulls out the last name.

"Raven Raina Hocking!" she yells, and the crowd goes silent, as I watch my sister climb the stairs.

I guess, we are the unlucky ones. I let another tear escape, and my heart seems to break again as I see her eyes widen with fear. She takes my hand, and looks up at me, expecting ke to be able to do something, but I know there is nothing I can do for myself, nevermind Raven. But I promise myself, that she, Ryan and Grace will be my priority. If they die, I have no reason to live.

I close my eyes for a second, and imagine my mother, my father, what guidance they would give me, it starts off okay. Loving words, reassuring hugs but all of the words that were in my head before come back, and spell out the same thing.

"The Odds Will Never Be In Your Favour."

**So, Phoenix, Ryan, Grace, and Raven are off to the capitol. Please remember to review, as the next chapter will not go up without one more! That chapter wasn't the easiest to write, as I hadn't picked who would be reaped until I typed it out! Obviously, Megan was an option, but I think she may be too similar to Rue. So I picked Grace, a strong willed character, instead of a more vunerable one such as Raven or Megan. I have the whole story plotted out, and things are about to get a little crazier, so stay tuned!**

**BethanyDee xx**


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